Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy
by AyatBaraka
Summary: Kallen returns from the last great war to find herself in an entirely different battle, but with a new friend by her side; infuriating though he may be.
1. Normalcy

Chapter1: Normalcy

Insert standard disclaimers of ownership here.

[A/N] I'm taking the last Picture Drama (which happens shortly after ep 25) into account here, and this starts not long after. There's a transcript of it at kay-willow,livejournal,com/292014,html (switch commas to dots), I couldn't find any subbed versions of the video itself, but this works fine. For those who don't care to read it, all you have to know (that isn't evident below) is that Nunna and Suzaku (as Zero) come to Ashford for a visit. If anyone knows of a good location to find a decent quality subtitle job on the video, let me know.

Nunnally and Suzaku, _after all, _Kallen though, _who else could it be,_ had left to resume their duties once again, and Milly, Nina, and Rivalz had returned to their lives, which had left Kallen and Gino still roaming the halls of reminiscence by themselves. Kallen wasn't really sure why it was just her and Gino, and she really didn't like the devious smile Rivalz had when he'd excused himself, but so far Gino seemed to not be too bad of company. They were just walking down corridors, not speaking much, and Kallen had begun to think more about her companion, rather than dig up memories she'd already been over way too many times in her mind. He seemed to be a normal stuck up Britannian noble boy, bred for leadership, power, and being way too stuck up for anyone's good; but here he was, perfectly comfortable with the former traitor to, as he thought, her country. Then there was that conversation they'd had before the final fight with Lelouch, where he'd said that he might've understood her feelings a bit. She believed him too, even though understanding her would've been completely beyond any noble she'd even known.

Since she'd fallen a bit behind, Gino stopped for a second to let her catch up, looking out over the grounds. "Hey Kallen," Gino said, looking towards her, "Do you think I'll fit in here? I mean, I did well enough last time I was here, but I don't think I really connected with anyone. Truth be told, I can't really remember anyone I met other than the student council," he looked unsure of himself for the first time since Kallen had met him.

She couldn't help but sympathize, "Actually, I wasn't very close to anyone either." She gave him a smile to try and cheer him up. Gino being depressed made absolutely no sense at all, no matter how she looked at it. "I think you'll do fine. At least, you can't do any worse than I did," she laughed a bit at herself.

"Really, and I thought you didn't like me," his usual smile returned to his face.

Kallen, rather than be defensive as she usually was, backed off a bit, and answered honestly, "It's not that I don't like you... I don't know, I've just never gotten along well with people like you. Well, nobles anyway."

Somehow, Gino's smile brightened. "So you do like me," Gino said, calm but sincere happiness evident in his voice.

Kallen blushed, something in the way he'd said it had thrown her into way too intimate territory, "I didn't say that!" she nearly yelled, her defensive nature returning.

Gino instantly picked up on her misunderstanding, "Sounds like you're trying awfully hard to deny something."

She could barely talk, "I, well, I mean..."

Gino pushed her a bit farther, "You know, keep acting that cute and I may just have to do something about it," he stepped closer to her.

"Like what, exactly?" a nervous chuckle backing her words as she found only a wall behind her.

Gino said playfully "Oh, I think you know,"

Kallen momentarily stopped breathing as Gino got closer and closer. The only coherent thought that passed through her head was; _what's going on? I don't like him, why can't I move?_

Gino stopped just inches from her face, so close, Kallen could feel his warm breath on her cheek. He whispered softly to her, pale blue eyes staring directly into her soul, "You're pretty easy to get to, huh?"

Kallen's brain screeched to a halt.

Gino stumbled backward laughing as hard as he could, barely able to keep standing.

Kallen's confusion slowly gave way to blind rage as what had just transpired became clear to her, or at least as clear as it could be to a girl that found no humor in Gino's little joke could. As she stormed off (more a hurricane than mere storm), one though flashed through her mind, "This is why I hate Britannians."

The next morning came sooner than she would have liked, and her mood had not much improved. This was her first day back at school since being "rescued," when she'd bid farewell to an era of her life that she was sure would live on in her mind as the most trying times she would ever know. Plus she'd also had to put her life on the line more than a few times, and that was pretty bad too. In any case, it was all over now and things could get back to normal; or, well, whatever normal was supposed to be.

Looking out over one of the many courtyards in Ashford Academy, she watched her fellow students walk around living the kind of life she'd never known. The one where the biggest thing you had to worry about was whether a boy liked you or not, rather than worrying about whether he was going to be alive tomorrow. A melancholic haze fogged her attention and she was sure that someone was just about to interrupt it. Someone always did. That was normal.

But they didn't. She stood there, looking out that window for what must've been ten minutes. Students walked by or sat on the lawn eating; she even watched as a younger girl confessed to an older boy and, from her reaction, was rejected. For some reason, one that she could not explain, she started smiling. She knew all too well what that girl must be feeling, but she was smiling despite having her chest ache, remembering the one kiss she and Lelouch shared before she left him forever. It was then that she realized a crushing fact; one that, to most, would bring happiness, but to her, brought only pain. She wasn't going to be normal, ever. She was going to be Kallen Kozuki, Knightmare pilot and national hero for the rest of her life. No one here could come even close to that. No one in the Academy would ever have to be so irrevocably different, to know how lonely that felt. Yet, she was smiling. She swore she was going nuts, but she knew that at the same time, this feeling felt like home. She'd known it since she had joined the resistance, she'd known it while being a Black Knight, hiding in plain view amongst her friends, and she'd known it while watching her fellow knights go about their business, knowing she'd never really be one of them either. All of it being Lelouch's fault, of course. She realized then that she was smiling because this feeling meant she really was home. It may not be the normal the students below knew, but it was hers, and even though it hurt more than any other feeling she'd known, it made her happy. She laughed a bit, too loud, and turned noticing that people were staring. She figured they'd just been too scared to interrupt her reverie.

Then she remembered why she'd been standing around in the hallway to begin with, prompting her unexpected mood. She was headed to the student council room to _officially_ welcome another student back from the front lines. _Him_, she thought, an edge of near dread came over her, rooting her once again. Never in her life had she known someone so damned frustrating, someone so infuriating, someone so confusing as _him_. She resolved to not mention _his_ name. Ever. Not even in conversation, she'd find ways around it.

"Come on Kallen, Gino's not that bad."

She lost it and spun around to meet her friend's face, cheeks red, "Of course not, that's not why I'm late! And what are you doing here Rivalz? Shouldn't you already be there?"

He scratched his head the way he usually did when asked about an uncomfortable subject and said, "I got ambushed by the fan club again"

His name for the bunch of people that mobbed them for inside info about why they'd been visited by the new Britannian empress (Nunnally had been inconspicuous enough, but it was hard to have Zero walking behind you and not get noticed) brought back unpleasant memories of her own. It seemed to be a theme for her life these days. Sighing, she replied, "Oh, that makes sense. So what else is on the agenda today?"

"Nothing much really, we just need to find some new officers," another sigh for their collection, "I wish Milly were around, she knows this stuff way better than I do," he said as they continued on to the Council Room.

When Kallen and Rivalz had returned to Ashford, now without all but one of it ranking student council members, the appointment of a new President was a must, and since Kallen had made it clear that she wasn't going to apply, that pretty much made Rivalz president by default. Rivalz, however, was not as willing to let Kallen off the hook as the school staff had, and practically begged Kallen to be his Vice-President. After all, they were really the only true friends each of them had left at school; everyone else had been too obsessed with being impressed to realize that both of them needed a person to just be themselves with.

They entered the club room and whatever fragment of a smile on Kallen's face was replaced with the best don't-mess-with-me look she could manage. There Gino was (her silly resolution forgotten) with his arrogant smile, arrogant aura, and his arrogant little bundle of braids tossed arrogantly over his shoulder. Geez, he pissed her off.

"You'd think I'd done something horrible with that look you're giving me," Gino said, eyebrow quirked tauntingly.

"You showed up here today, that's enough." Came the cold reply as Kallen sat down and retrieved some paperwork from here bag. It would need doing for another few days, but no time like the present. She was in no mood to deal with his antics today, not after what had happened last night.

"Aw, what's wrong with you today? Here I thought you and I were finally starting to be friends and now you treat me like an enemy again."

Gino's bringing up those times was not helping him in the slightest. "No, I'm treating you like a stuck up Britannian noble."

Gino shrugged and decided to cut his losses, for now.

Rivalz spoke up attempting to regain some sense of civility, he was president after all, "Come on now guys, we're all in this together. Let's all be..." Kallen cut him off, she wasn't going to give Gino any more reason to act all "friendly."

"So you said something about finding new officers for the Student council? We've got the Presidential and Vice-Presidential positions filled, so we just need a new treasurer and secretary then."

"Right," conceding his momentary loss to his Vice, "Gino, since you're now part, or, well, the rest of the student council, which one do you want?"

Gino mulled the question over for a few seconds, "Well, I've never really been great with money, but I think I can handle writing letters. I'll take Secretary."

Kallen decided it would be best to be at least professional. Swallowing her pride she said, "That's not all you'll be doing. You'll basically be handling record keeping and public relations when me and Rivalz are busy."

"Hmm, I think I can take care of that too. Of course, you'll be around to help me if I run into trouble right?" Gino once again wielded his grin with deadly precision.

Kallen, however, decided she wouldn't lose this time, and knowing full well that Rivalz would interrupt if he sensed a fight coming, she returned the grin and replied, "Just don't expect me to be there all the time to get you out of every _little_ situation you're in,"

Gino took up the challenge, forming his next counter in his mind but...

"Guys, let's try to get along here. I'll go get everything Gino'll need. Kallen, see what you can do about finding a Treasurer." Rivalz said, right on time. However, Rivalz's next sentence made it a bittersweet victory, "Hey, I've got an idea. Maybe you and Gino could work together. After all, if you two manage not to kill each other, you should be able to do a great job with just about anything," and with a smile, Rivalz left.

Final Score; Gino 1, Kallen 2, Rivalz, the game. _Damn him_, Kallen thought.

The two decided to relocate to one of the courtyards, ironically being the one that Kallen had been staring into not an hour before. They sat, not looking at each other, on one of the stone benches and looked around, scanning for any potential candidates. Gino, having only been at the school a few days some time ago, was only doing so to prevent another scene until the right moment. He'd be damned if was going to screw up his best chance at a real friend at this school.

Kallen, however, had much less poignant things on her mind. As her eyes swept the emerald lawn, occasionally pausing to take in a face for a moment, she searched her mental student directory for possible candidates. This in and of itself was difficult enough, given that she didn't recognize anyone. Just then, her eyes settled upon someone sitting on another bench not far off, who, she thought for a moment, might've even been looking at her when she noticed him. Now though, his sight was concentrated firmly on the ground. She pulled up what information she had about him in her mind. Alec Keane, son of a lower-middle ranked noble family. From what she had seen, he was good with math and since he didn't seem like he talked much, he might be able to balance out the loudmouth beside her. But there was a bit of a snag. As she looked at him, she was forced to remember someone else. Charcoal black hair, almost royal features, if it wasn't for his blue eyes he could've passed for Lelouch at all but a short distance. He even had the distant, almost bored, arrogance that Lelouch had perfected before actually finding something to care about in the Black Knights. _No, he's no good for the job._

Gino, however, had had already noticed that Kallen had looked a little too long at the guy, "Think he might be a good candidate?"

"Maybe, but I think I know a few other people that might fit better," she lied, trying to dodge the question and move on.

Gino, _as usual_, Kallen would have thought, didn't know when to quit, "Hm, you sure you're not passing him over because he looks a bit like a certain someone? I couldn't blame you really; even I see the resemblance," he asked, actually beginning to sound concerned for her feelings.

_At least he's got the decency to be considerate now,_ Kallen said to herself. Then, to Gino, with a greater degree of honesty than she usually mustered, "Yeah, that might have a little to do with it."

Seeing the opening he'd been waiting for, Gino managed to assure himself a friend by stepping, heedless of consequences, into very personal territory, "You know; you'll have to move on eventually. I'm sure it's what he would've wanted for you."

Despite, or perhaps because of, Gino's subtle intrusion into her heart, Kallen turned an angry eye to her new friend, "What do you know? You didn't know him; you were too busy trying to kill him."

Gino smiled a bit, seeing Kallen return to something of herself, "So were you, if you remember. That aside, if he even comes close to deserving that crush you still have on him, he would've wanted you to forget all about him."

Even though he was undoubtedly right, she persisted, "Anyway, It doesn't matter what he wanted; I still don't want some look-alike hanging around."

Gino's impenetrable aura of confidence returned and he immediately took his victory and ran with it, "That's a lousy reason and you know it. Come on, I think we have our Treasurer," and with that he grabbed her wrist and pulled her along with him as he walked toward the boy that had appeared to now notice their intent.

Once they were closer Gino called out, "Hey, mind if we ask you something?"

Alec looked up at him, face still unchanged from when he was alone, and replied, "Which would be?"

Un-deterred by the clear lack of interest, Gino said, "We're from the student council," Alec's eyes narrowed, indicating he would have to be a complete fool to not have already known that, and that he thought Gino was a fool for insinuating it. Gino continued "We're actually looking for a Treasurer and my friend Kallen here," he put his arm around her shoulder, at which time she began to protest, but refrained from interrupting, "thought you might be suitable for the job."

Alec stood, looked at Gino, his expression still muttering insults, then at Kallen, with a more appraising gaze, and said, plainly and somehow with no tone of snobbishness "Sure, now if you'll excuse me, my servant has arrived to drive me home." With that he turned and left, walking towards a tall man wearing a suit and sunglasses that had just entered the courtyard some distance away.

Kallen and Gino stared a bit, somewhat confused. Both of them were well accustomed to being the first to notice anyone entering a given area, especially someone that stood out. However, Alec's mention of the man's arrival had come some seconds before they actually noticed him. Gino spoke first, "Think he was just waiting for the guy?"

"He would have been at the front gate, besides, the timing was dead-on. Also, did you notice that he didn't even look over there before he said something?"

"Weird." Gino's comment was the last they spoke of it, before heading back towards the club room to inform Rivalz of their pick.

Rivalz, meanwhile, was taking care of the chore he disliked most that comes from holding the position of student council president, paperwork. He figured he'd fill out all the forms for Gino's appointment and then finish as much as he could of all the forms for whoever was going to be his new Treasurer. He had just finished making Gino's appointment official when he heard two of the faculty talking in the hallway. The only thing that made Rivalz, normally a perfect gentleman, begin to eavesdrop was the tone of their voices, which sounded oddly concerned about something.

"I'm not really sure how much longer we'll be safe from those Eleven... cultural purity groups... or whatever they're calling themselves. They're beginning to seem dangerous."

"I don't know about yours, but my husband's been considering moving back to the mainland. I'd rather be here teaching at Ashford, but I can't say I blame him."

They walked too far for Rivalz to hear any more. This brought to mind the other, almost daily, harassment in his life these days. In addition to the incessant press and onlookers attempting to butt in on things he couldn't say anything about, every so often he'd have some Japanese person just start yelling about how he and the rest of the Britannians should just leave the country.

Naturally, after having been liberated from Britannian rule, the Japanese population had returned to being the dominant power in what portion of the city of Tokyo was left. Most of the surviving Britannians had already returned to the Mainland, and many were still on their way out. Thanks to their newfound majority and their, admittedly justified, anger, some of the Japanese had taken to demanding that the rest of the Britannian population leave as well. Fortunately for the students of Ashford, remarkably few of which seriously wished to return to Britannia, Prime Minister Ohgi had managed to keep those of that opinion from gaining the support necessary to remove the Britannians from the city and, as a few wished, from the entire country. Thankfully, Rivalz's mother shared his opinion and had no intention of leaving Tokyo, barring an order from the Japanese government. She wasn't particularly fond of the Japanese but, regardless of the politics involved, this was their home now.

He finished the all the forms he could and headed back to the club room where Kallen and Gino were waiting calmly and, believe it or not, were talking to each other without trading their respective trademark looks. Rivalz smiled a bit to himself, the first major problem of his presidency solved. He waited for them to finish whatever conversation they were having to speak up, "So, find me someone good?"

Gino answered, "Yep, I think so," he cast a glance at Kallen, asking her to finish the explanation.

"His name is Alec Keane. You remember him from some of our classes before I had to leave?"

"Yeah, I think so. Don't think I ever talked to him at all though. Looks kinda like Lelouch right?"

Gino caught the barest flinch from Kallen as Rivalz pointed it out. Clearly Rivalz wasn't terribly sensitive to that sort of thing.

Kallen's voice betrayed none of her feeling though, "Yeah, a little. From what I remembered, he was pretty good at math, so he should be the right one for the job. Besides, he's a noble's son, so he should have some idea of how to manage money."

Gino disagreed, "Um, Kallen, you grew up in a noble family, did your parents ever say anything about money to you?"

"Huh? Hm, now that I think about it, not really. I figured it was just the boys that got taught all that stuff. Besides I was around as little as possible."

"I think that's how it was for all of us." Only Gino's eyes showed his distaste for those memories of his childhood, or, rather, the lack of defining ones. Well, other than those of _her_.

Rivalz had to admit he felt bad for them, even though his family was well off, and had its own share of problems, he was at least close to his mother.

They sat, not saying anything for a few moments until Gino dissipated the gloomy fog that had settled over the three of them, "Well, enough of that. Rivalz, you said there'd be something I need?"

"Oh, right," Rivalz bounced back to his usual self and chuckled a bit before handing a handful of papers to Gino. "Here you go buddy, your first bunch forms to fill out."

Gino took the papers and mentally noted that he had now two friends he could count on. _Not a bad start,_ he thought before turning his mind to the task at hand.

They finished up with what little official business they had left and went their separate ways. While Rivalz and Gino headed to their respective dormitories, Kallen, however, left for her usual stop before going home, Tamaki's bistro.


	2. Companionship

Chapter 2: Companionship

A/N: Sorry it took so long, I only have access to this computer three nights a week. Also, I kinda got laid off, so I'll probably have quite a bit more time to work on this. One more thing, if you like or, more importantly, don't like something, drop me a review. Can't fix my bad habits if I don't know I've got 'em.

The walk to Tamaki's had been a pleasant one, as always, and had let her forget all the annoyances of her day; this being the reason she had made it a habit to drop by often. However, it seemed that tonight was not going to be her night and that she was doomed to have that blonde jerk's smirk etched into her mind. Her visit had started out well enough, Ohgi and Viletta had managed to come by, a rare sight given Ohgi's new responsibilities and those that were due to come in the very near future. However, shortly after arriving, Tamaki's jukebox, curiously stocked with old Japanese and Britannian 'rock' as she'd heard Tamaki refer to it, decided that it would mess with her by playing some Britannian song with some idiot going over the various ways he could seduce someone. The short, slower, interlude in the middle immediately brought her mind back to the hallway in Ashford the night before and, for some reason, Gino's face being dangerously (for him, of course) close to hers. She blushed slightly at the thought, an action unnoticed by all except the all too observant Viletta sitting next to her. She smiled knowingly for a second, and proceeded to inquire, "Something on your mind?"

Kallen tried her best to feign ignorance. "No, not really," she said, putting her hands up, as if trying to make a barrier to keep Viletta's piqued curiosity at bay.

"I know better than that, Kallen, who're you thinking about?"

She gave in, knowing that there was know she was getting off easy tonight. "Really, it's no one. Just some guy at school."

"Hm, really now? Care to tell me about him?" she asked, quirking an eyebrow.

Kallen's first response would have been a frank 'No,' and moving on with her night, but there was no chance at getting away with it. "He just pulled some prank and it just really bothered me is all. It's no big deal."

Viletta was honestly surprised, "Since I haven't seen any report of a student being murdered, I'm guessing you just let him go." Kallen simply nodded. "Who is this kid? I'd like to know who'd not only be suicidal enough to try anything with you but then manage to walk away. We could use a guy like that."

Rather than drag it out Kallen opted for a straight answer, "He's sort of already taken. Gino Weinberg."

_That makes sense_, Viletta thought to herself. "So, what did he do?"

Kallen wasn't sure what to reply to that. She'd been trying to forget about it, and didn't really want to go into details.

"He must've done something pretty bad to get you to hesitate like that," Viletta chimed in, noticing Kallen's reticence. "I can always have him arrested. He may still be a knight of Britannia, but he's a long way from home," she teased.

"No it's nothing like that. I'm not even sure why it bothers me so much." She recounted the events in the hallway, leaving out the part where she misunderstood him of course; he was the bad guy here, after all.

Viletta, however, wasn't fooled, "He probably didn't think it would affect you that much either."

"That's what's driving me crazy though," her tenuous hold on composure beginning to slip. "Most of the time he's nice enough, but sometimes, he'll just go off and do something insane or mean like last night. Something about that just really gets to me."

Viletta picked up on the beginnings of what would be quite the teenage crush, but decided to tone her response down, lest she spoil it. "Maybe you'd like to be friends with him, but those quirks of his are just getting in the way."

Kallen smiled, mentally admitting that was pretty likely. They had gotten along pretty well after he'd decided to stop being a jerk.

Tamaki, who, like the others nearby, had been listening quietly, chose then, of all times, to prove his boorishness by practically yelling, "Aww, I think Kallen-chan's just got herself a little crush; and on a Britannian no less," this having been in Japanese, as to add injury to insult.

Kallen replied with well conditioned outright denial, "I do not! I don't know anyone that could stand him for more than a few minutes."

Viletta thought it best to drop the subject now that Tamaki had put her on the defensive. She did, however, muse to herself, and later that night to Kaname, that it was those quirks that irked her so much now would be her favorite aspects of the boy in time.

No one else in the establishment seemed to be so forgiving of Tamaki's borderline racism, least of which was Ohgi, having married a former Britannian Baroness. The only mercy he allowed his friend was not explaining precisely what Tamaki had said when Viletta inquired, her knowledge of the Japanese language still in its early stages. Ohgi wished to have a little bloodshed as possible.

The rest of their night was passed with pleasant companionship for most; and nothing but the coldest of shoulders for the proprietor of their refuge.

This night had not been as comfortable for another former warrior lodged not far away. Zero stood at the window of his room, specifically chosen for its view of the massive crater he had created some months ago. As was his custom, young though it may have been, he paid respects to all those he had killed and vowed once again to not rest until he had atoned for the sin of having ended their lives in order to protect his own.

"Suzaku, you know as well as I do you were under the influence of Big Brother's geass, so there's no reason to be so obsessed with what happened," came the plaintive voice he had begun to rely on to keep him from becoming any more fanatical in his quest for penitence.

He hadn't been expecting her arrival, nor had he heard her enter, and so took this time to remove his mask, as Nunnally had required him to do so any time they were alone. He turned to her, with the humorless smile that his friend had worn too often while he had lived, another of the few things Zero had inherited from the departed tyrant. "Nunna, I didn't know you'd be coming to see me tonight."

Some of her concern left her at his use of her nickname. Suzaku had at least retained enough of himself to still enjoy (as much as he could) her friendship. "I wanted to make sure you were doing alright. I was worried when I found out where we'd be staying, but I trusted that you wouldn't take things too far."

"I think we have Lelouch to thank for that." He turned to her fully and made his way to the single bed in the room, this being the only thing to sit on in the room. He had requested, in addition to the view, that his room be sparsely furnished, as he would need little but the barest necessities.

Nunnally sighed and tried to be as warm as possible, asking, "Are you going to be gloomy the whole time we're here? You know it makes me feel bad." She put on her best pout, even closing her eyes to really get under Suzaku's skin.

Zero couldn't help but be reminded of days gone by when he and Nunnally had shared many a happy moment. His cynical smirk softened into a genuine smile, much to Nunnally's relief, once she had opened an eye just far enough to see if her taunt had been successful. Suzaku had begun to wonder if she had somehow acquired some form of geass, she was getting far too good at making him feel better. He assured himself that Lelouch could forgive him for not being able to remain unhappy around Nunnally; after all, Lelouch had never been able to either. He apologized for his bad mood.

"That's alright, maybe it's just where we are." She shifted her mind to official matters, pushing her other concerns away. She moved over to the window, enjoying the view of the city. Saddening as the scene was, she was still happy to see anything at all. "Do you think we'll have anything to worry about tomorrow? I don't think I've gotten used to these conferences just yet."

He spoke to her reflection in the window, "There shouldn't be anything to bad. Schneizel can handle the talks on sakuradite trading policy and I think you'll do fine talking about your plans for diplomatic relations. There's not much that can go wrong."

"I guess I can't help having butterflies in my stomach."

Suzaku stood up, walked over to Nunnally, and placed a hand on her shoulder, which she took into her own. "Don't worry; I'll be right behind you as always." He offered the most reassuring smile he could.

She laughed lightly, "I don't suppose I could ask you not to wear your mask?"

He took her question as a rhetorical one, lest the feelings of guilt and anger cloak him in Zero once again before tomorrow, and resumed looking out the window, this time admiring the moon and finding solace in the small hand resting on his.

Elsewhere in the city, Kallen had made her way back to her home. The place was far smaller and simpler that the mansion she had stayed at while living with her father, but she found herself happier upon seeing their home than she ever had when walking through the gates of the Stadtfeld estate. Ohgi had offered something more befitting a heroine of the Japanese people, but she and her mother had politely declined in favor of making it on their own, something neither of them had gotten a chance to do yet. Her mom had gotten a job at a local dress shop, having had a decent amount of experience working with them during her tenure as a servant, and Kallen was in the midst of negotiating with her mother about being allowed to have a job. Apparently children were supposed to leave supporting the household to the parent, or something like that.

Kallen's mother was still awake, much to Kallen's surprise. She greeted her mother in Japanese, another opportunity they now enjoyed, "I'm home, shouldn't you be asleep by now, don't you have work in the morning?"

Her mother maintained a look of contentment despite her obvious disappointment, "Welcome home Kallen, I think I'm the not only one who has somewhere to be in the morning."

The chiding mother tone took effect quickly, "I suppose an apology isn't going to help me."

Her mother simply smiled, transgressions clearly forgotten, for now. "How about you tell me how your day went instead."

Kallen returned her mother's smile and joined her on the couch she had been sitting on when Kallen had gotten home. As Kallen went over the details (honestly, no less) of her day, her mother remembered the story of her own youth and hoped the Kallen's tale would end more happily than her own had. Though she did remind herself that she still had Kallen, which was the most important thing.

A short time later the pair bid each other oyasumi and Kallen greeted the end of a long day.

However, her relaxed mood was short lived. As she walked into the kitchen the next morning, ready to grab her breakfast and head out the door, she was forced to stop in the doorway and ponder a head of blonde hair above the filled form of an Ashford Academy boy's uniform. The hour had dulled her anger reflex and she instead took to confusion in its stead. She spoke to her mother who was politely conversing with the young man at the table, "Um, Mom," she pointed at the back of Gino's head as he turned to her, "what's Gino doing here?"

Her mother smiled pleasantly, "Oh, Gino wanted to walk you to school today. Isn't that lovely?" The unspoken edict given was, _'Be nice.'_

Kallen was about to reply, but Gino felt that it was best to formally greet his friend (before she had a chance to cause her mother any trouble), "Good Morning, I hope I'm not being too much of a bother." He thought it best to make himself the target of her aggression; after all, he did enjoy getting her worked up.

Gino was to be disappointed however, as Kallen found that retaliation came second to keeping her mother happy and content, for more than one reason. She motioned with her hand dismissively, "Oh don't worry about it. I guess I could use a little company." This was met with a nod of approval from her mother. "Well, let's get going." She grabbed her breakfast, led Gino to the door, and after reminding Gino that he had to switch his barrowed indoor shoes for his original pair, the two left for school.

As they walked along the streets of the newly renovated ex-ghetto, Kallen's annoyance at Gino's sudden appearance at her kitchen table began to show through, not that Gino had taken any interest in it. He seemed to be more interested in taking in the sights around him. She commented on this, saying, "What exactly are you looking at anyway, it isn't like we're in the richest part of town."

He stopped for a second. "Huh, oh, it's just that I haven't been to a neighborhood like this one. It's all mansions and parks where I'm from."

Kallen was wondering what to say next, but her attention was diverted by a man that walked by, muttering in aggravated Japanese. Kallen turned around and spoke to the man, "Hey, do you have something to say?"

He stopped and replied, still in Japanese, refusing to speak Britannian for Gino's benefit, "I said, 'Then why don't you go back to your fancy mansions?' Got a problem with that?"

"Actually I do. He's just looking around."

Switching now to Britannian, the man spoke to Gino, "Kid, get the hell out of here, for your own good."

Gino quirked an eyebrow, but before he could reply, Kallen did so for him. "Is that a threat?"

Gino placed a hand on her shoulder, not liking where the conversation was going. "It's ok, we should be going anyway."

Their aggressor had walked up to them by then. He pressed Kallen to heed Gino's recommendation, saying, "You should listen to your _friend_," he said this as if it were a curse, "and get out of here."

Kallen's eyes narrowed, not wanting to back down from the challenge. "Or what?"

Being a traditional, and very aggressive, Japanese man, he did not take well to such treatment by a girl. He raised his hand to strike Kallen, but before she could even move to stop him, Gino's hand moved from her shoulder to grab the offender's wrist. Once Kallen's momentary state of shock ended, she turned her head to look at Gino's face. In an instant, any doubt in her mind as to his worth as a warrior vanished. In the second that had passed since the fool had raised his hand, Gino's expression had emptied of his traditional mirth and joy, and now only showed a cool, analytical gaze, simultaneously reading his opponent's next move and insisting that he reconsider it.

Gino spoke a moment later, each word a warning, "Do not touch her."

As the man, now more shocked than Kallen had been and dissuaded from pursuing the subject further, hurriedly walked off mumbling more curses to himself; Kallen stood on the spot, blushing a bright red at having been defended in such a way.

Not looking at her, still with the cold, silent look on his face, he asked, "Are you all right?"

A veil of annoyance masked the near awe she felt, "Of course I am. You didn't have to barge in like that."

Gino breathed a sigh of what looked like relief (Kallen couldn't be sure), and returned to his usual irrepressibly cheerful self. "Sorry, I just can't stand it when someone stoops to hitting a girl."

Very real annoyance crept in at Gino's unintentional sexism, "You know I can take care of myself."

"Oh, sorry, guess it's a reflex of mine. Can you forgive me?" he said, mocking penitence.

"Whatever," came the apathetic reply, and they moved on; now without any worry of someone messing with them. As she walked, Kallen also noticed the presence of another feeling that was the result of Gino's reason for helping her, disappointment. Was she disappointed that she'd been lumped in with all the other 'girls' in Gino's mind? She dismissed that thought immediately; instead guessing that it was just because that meant he thought like most of the Britannians she knew and thought of women as fragile little flowers in need of protection.

The rest of the morning passed with little conversation of consequence between them, though Kallen caught herself on three separate occasions beginning to enjoy his company, each time making sure to remind herself how much of a jerk Gino was.

The pair did not see each other again until after classes, as they were in separate grades, when clubs were to meet. Gino had, to Kallen's continued irritation, showed up outside her classroom to walk her to the student council room. She could feel the rumors starting already; not that her clueless companion noticed. He apparently hadn't seen the bad side of normal schooling yet.

When they entered the student council room, Rivalz and Alec were already working. Alec had gotten his hands on their finance books, previously kept by Nina, and was going over her records. From his expression, he hadn't yet found anything of interest. Though Kallen guessed it would take a massive oversight on Nina's part to get Alec to be at all interested in the task. She wondered why he'd taken the job in the first place.

Rivalz greeted the two, "Hey guys, how's it going. I see you're getting along pretty well," the inference was obvious in his tone.

Kallen decided to let it go, as she didn't want a repeat of yesterday. Rivalz was getting far too good at breaking up any fight she aimed to start. "All right, I guess."

Gino added, sounding concerned with her passive attitude toward the events of the morning, "If you count nearly getting assaulted all right."

Rivalz eyebrow quirked, clearly asking Kallen to elaborate; while Alec cracked a curious smile, obviously amused at the thought of Kallen being 'assaulted.'

Kallen said, "Try not to make it sound worse than it was," then to the other two at the table, "Some jerk tried to mess with Gino when he was walking me to school today. When I told him to back off, he tried to hit me, it's no big deal."

Gino, obviously not agreeing with Kallen's assessment, dropped the subject and joined the group at the table.

Rivalz, however, took this as a lead-in into something he had been thinking about just prior to Kallen and Gino's entrance. "You know, that brings up a good point. Since Japan got its independence from Britannia, it seems like the Japanese are taking all their anger out on us."

Alec looked almost insulted by Rivalz's stating of the obvious. He said, in his usual flat and uncaring tone, "To most of them all Britannians are the same. Just like many of us think all of them are the same. Ethnocentrism runs rampant these days."

Rivalz, having correctly guessed what the word 'ethnocentrism' meant, continued, "Exactly, which is why we need something to help everyone understand each other better."

Kallen was suspicious. The previous student council president was known for big, extravagant, insane ideas, and she was guessing that Rivalz looked to continue that tradition. She had been dreading the day he'd announce the next Cross-dresser's Ball. "What exactly did you have in mind?"

"Well, there's nothing like a party to get everybody in a friendly mood, and it's about that time of year now; I say we have Ashford Academy's first Cultural Festival!" he emphasized these last words in the hope of having everyone else as excited as he was; and it seemed that they were, at least partially.

Kallen seconded the idea. "I like it; we actually had a few Japanese people show up for the last two school festivals, we might be able to get even more this time around."

Rivalz added to the train of thought, "It'll also be a good opportunity for us to teach the student body more about where they live. After all, we're Japanese now, aren't we? Speaking of which, Kallen, you know more about Japan than any of us. I think it's safe to say that you'll be chairman of the festival planning committee."

Kallen and Gino nodded in agreement, Alec, however, seemed lost in thought, staring forward as if he wasn't in the club room. The other three in the room watched him for a second, until he nearly induced a trio of heart attacks by beginning to speak. "There will be a number of considerations to make, and I think I can have a budget ready in," he paused and zoned out for a moment, "four days. Also, think about where we'll be putting the stage."

Everyone just stared, completely lost as to the meaning of his last statement. "For that bunch of morons everyone's been going on about," referring to a student band that had become known for putting on a show at any opportune moment, "They'll doubtlessly have some gaudy display planned."

The others accepted this explanation, as the one that had given it had suddenly found his previous task enthralling, and Kallen added to the list of suggestions saying, "Oh, and well need room for our giant oven."

Gino was first to reply, "Wait, you want to try that pizza thing again?"

Kallen smiled, remembering something, "Of course, a friend of mine would never forgive me if we stopped trying."

They continued fleshing out ideas until a good deal later, by which time their company had been reduced to just President and Vice President. As they left the school building, Rivalz stopped and voiced one the other concern that had been bothering him lately, "Hey Kallen, what is it about Gino that gets you so worked up. I mean, I've seen you guys work together fine, but when he says stuff to mess with you, it gets to you more than usual."

She stopped as well, sighed, and said without fully turning to her friend, "I'm not sure really. He's just so arrogant all the time. I can't stand guys like that."

"Kinda like Lelouch that way?" He was smiling at the insinuation.

Kallen bristled at the comparison, "He's not like Lelouch at all. Lelouch was... he was different." She looked away, the lingering sadness clear on her face.

"Geez, I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that."

"I know, and maybe he does remind me a little." She smiled despite her mood. "Or maybe it's just because he's always so damned happy."

Rivalz showed a remarkable amount of insight, saying, "And you don't want to catch any of it." Kallen laughed a little under her breath as sign of agreement. Rivalz continued, "Are you sure you're not trying to keep from liking him?"

The previous subject dulled her retaliation, making it more a statement about herself than anything, "I don't think that's even possible. Besides he's just another stuck up noble to me." She sighed and was about to continue but Rivalz cut her off, sensing that he wasn't getting any farther with her tonight.

"Is it one of those reasons why you hate Britannians?" he started laughing and ran ahead to dodge the imminent counterattack.

Later, she stood at her window at home, already dressed for bed and having turned out the light, just watching the moon. Her thoughts drifted back to her short conversation with Rivalz, when he had said that she might be starting to like Gino. That was impossible, of course. The only person she'd ever felt that way for was dead now, and she was sure she would never feel the same way again. Gino's face never begged her for comfort, he never had even seemed like he needed anyone or felt lonely and abandoned, he hadn't masterfully woven their fates together, making her feel like she was essential to his survival. He hadn't made her feel a dozen different things at once, or confused her with every little thing he did. Well, she reminded herself, except when he acted like some kind of knight in shining armor when he came to her aid. He should have known that she could take care of herself. And why did he sound like he was angry at that guy for trying to hit her, specifically. Normally, she guessed that he would've just made some smart remark and let the guy go. Gino was actually angry, she was sure of it. She remembered that he'd made her feel a few different things when he did that. She'd been awestruck, something very few people had managed, and they'd all done much bigger things. Then, even though she was annoyed at him for being sexist, she'd been sad that he thought of her as just another girl. Then there was that joke he played on her a couple nights ago, she didn't even want to think about that, it made her nervous just thinking about it.

That didn't change the fact, though, that things were different between Gino and her than they'd been with Lelouch. Gino never made her feel bad, with the exception of anger. He didn't make her sad by repeatedly almost getting himself killed. He'd been the only one to avoid even suggesting the possibility when everyone else around them thought they might all be walking to their deaths. Things weren't complex with Gino, he was just happy being around his friends. He made her feel happy about that too. It was completely different than how things felt with Lelouch.

She laughed to herself, berating herself for comparing Gino to Lelouch, there wasn't any comparison, there never would be. She found herself hoping that she'd wake up to find Gino smiling like an idiot at her kitchen table. She'd love to see him and whack him good for making her think about him so much. The smile left her face as she noticed a familiar ache began to settle in her chest. She'd love to see him.


	3. Preparation

Chapter 3: Preparation

Disclaimer: All claims to Geass belong to Sunrise, Bandai, etc.

A.N. Very sorry about the huge delay, unemployment's been more of a job than a job. This one's quite a bit longer than the others, though, enjoy.

* * *

The night couldn't have been any more cruel to her; first it had revealed feelings best left ignored (which she promised herself she would), and second, it, so far, had not permitted precious unconsciousness that would assist her in her goal. As she lay awake in her bed, cursing her foolishness for not knowing sooner, she wondered how it happened to begin with. She... she didn't really want to say it. He wasn't a bad guy by any standard, but she wasn't about to let herself fall for an arrogant Britannian noble. What was worse, her excuses sounded increasingly hollow each time she recited them. She knew she liked him (she wasn't about to say that other word yet) and she knew she wanted to be near him. He was one of the few people that could make her smile at anything besides a memory. He was the only one who understood the way she felt. He was the only one who made her forget she was some war hero, if only by instilling blinding rage in her. She just had to smile a bit at that. Best of all, his unrelenting attention made her feel important; and not because what she'd done, but just because who she was.

She realized, from the warmth in her cheeks, that she was not only smiling like a fool, but blushing too. She sighed to herself, for once not because she was depressed. She decided it'd be best to try and relax, and just let her thoughts wander. There really wasn't much of a hope of her brain quieting any time soon. Fortunately, this was just what she needed to get to sleep, even if she had to live with thoughts of that blond fool. Of Gino.

She woke the next morning feeling better about the situation, though she found herself walking to school alone. She supposed that she might have been better off though. She'd at least have some time to herself to figure out just how she was going to talk to him without making a total idiot of herself. As she walked she fiddled with Guren's activation key as it dangled from her neck, thinking of various ways she could go about doing so; knowing full well that she'd forget as soon as she laid eyes on him. When she eventually reached the gates of the school, her train of thought having not been interrupted since leaving home, she wished that she had asked her mom for a bit of advice before leaving, having been too embarrassed at the time to even mention her new situation.

She hurried along to the school building hoping that she wouldn't have to see him until after classes when they had club activities, though this was to be short lived. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw him waiting for her just inside the building. Much to her dismay, he noticed her shortly after her entrance and was now walking over to greet her.

"Hey Kallen, manage to get here without a fight today?" He was all smiles, just like always.

She smiled, far too happy to see him for her tastes, "Yeah, though it was a bit less interesting without you around." Her face showed none of the mental tirade she subjected herself for being really obvious. Though, she told herself, it was all Gino's fault in the end.

Gino quirked an eyebrow, "Well, then maybe it'd be worth the risk to come by tomorrow."

Kallen blushed bright red but managed to look mostly at ease. "Really it's fine; you don't have to. I'll be fine."

Gino knew full well she'd just asked him to come over in the mornings, but thought he'd wait a couple of days jut to mess with her. He was really beginning to enjoy it. "Ok then, I'll guess I'll have to find something else to do with my mornings." He caught the barest change in her manner, sensing that the comment did just what he'd intended. Then he remembered what Kallen was supposed to be doing. "Hey, shouldn't you be giving the announcement about you-know-what," using the vagary so as not to spoil the surprise for the couple of people he'd noticed listening in on their conversation. "You'd better get moving or you'll be late."

She looked up at the clock in the hall they were standing in, realizing that she did, in fact, have somewhere to be. Inwardly, she thanked Rivalz for the perfect excuse to get out of the awkward moment she'd found herself in. She quickly excused herself and hurried down the hall.

When she arrived at the PA room Rivalz was already waiting for her. He greeted her and said, "So are you ready?"

"Well, am I going to be saying much?"

"You are my Festival Chairman."

"Hm, I thought you were just going to tell everyone about the festival and that'd be it."

"And who better than you to explain exactly what the festival's all about?" With that, Rivalz picked up the microphone and hit the chime to draw everyone's attention. With as much exuberance he could muster, Rivalz began, "Good morning Ashford Academy, or should I say Ohayou minna-san!" He paused for a moment, no doubt letting his use of a Japanese greeting sink in, then continued, "Today I, Rivalz Cardemonde, your student council president would like to announce our first ever Ashford Academy Cultural Festival! To explain just why we're having one, here is your vice-president and resident expert on all things Japanese, Kallen Kozuki!"

As Rivalz handed her the microphone, she felt a bit more anxiety than she normally would have. She'd never had any of her Britannian friends refer to her last name as Kozuki before, and definitely not as loudly as Rivalz had. She silently held the mic for a moment before beginning to speak, "G-Good morning..." she trailed off as she heard her uncertain voice drift through the halls of the school.

Obviously aware that he could be heard by the rest of the school, Rivalz gave her some prodding, "C'mon, is that how Japan's Ace pilot talks?"

At Rivalz's mention of what had been her alter-ego, she remembered she didn't have to the meek, sickly Kallen Stadtfeld anymore. A smile swept across her face and she continued with the confidence she hadn't gotten to show at school yet, "Right, sorry everybody. Before Japan was liberated from Britannia, none of us were ever taught anything about Japan and because of that, only a few of us know what it means to be Japanese. I only learned exactly what that meant when Zero took all of us into exile. Now, there are a lot of Japanese people who think all Britannians should leave. Rivalz and I know that none of us want to go anywhere, so we decided to hold a festival celebrating all things Japanese." As she said this she was amused that she was accepting her Britannian lineage more than ever with the statement. She thought for a moment, looking for a good line to end with and decided to paraphrase a master, "With a little help, all of us can build a Japan that accepts us, regardless of where we come from or what we believe." In her excitement, she just barely managed to suppress one of Lelouch's trademark hand flourishes. Her piece finished, she handed the microphone back to Rivalz.

He finished their announcement, saying, "There you have it folks. Couldn't have said it better myself. Watch the bulletin boards for more info and have a great day." Then, after switching off the PA system, he turned to Kallen, "Great job. I had no idea you were a good public speaker."

She smiled at the compliment but responded with humility, "I wish I could take all the credit, but I basically just copied Lelouch, I did watch him give a lot of speeches."

Rivalz looked puzzled, "I don't remember him making a lot of speeches. He wasn't emperor for that long. Besides I was too busy freaking out about him being emperor to begin with."

Kallen immediately realized her gigantic slip-up. She fumbled for an excuse, all confidence and fluency gone, "Well, maybe I was just paying more attention, that's all."

Rivalz, she could tell from the incredulous look on his face, believed none of it. "Do you know something I don't?"

"No, of course not. Come on we've got class to get to right?" She hastily moved to the door and left the PA room.

Rivalz sighed and followed her out. It had been Rivalz's experience that when his friends, Kallen especially, wanted something hidden it was for a good reason. Not that it would stop him from trying to find out anyway, he just wouldn't try to force Kallen to tell him.

Fortunately, Kallen's day got better from there. It looked like Rivalz was going to let her mistake go without further questioning and it was evident that her fellow students were actually excited about the festival. It seemed like every other person was congratulating her for coming up with such a great idea and a few even asked what kind of Japanese stuff they'd get to learn about. As she walked to the clubroom to start hammering out some of the finer details, some of the energy that had begun to permeate the halls started to affect her as well.

When she entered the room Rivalz was the only council member present. He, however, was conversing with the two sisters in charge of Black Parade, the student band that, like Alec had guessed, was there to discuss performing at the festival. Aria McPherson, her sister Clarice standing behind her, was suggesting various locations for their stage and Rivalz was sitting with a map of the school doing his best with the logistics.

Aria's emerald eyes casually drifted to Kallen's and proceeded to stare right into her. Her grin and the look in her eyes behind a lock of her wavy light brown hair would've been downright creepy if it wasn't for the rest of her face having an eerie beauty that would put you completely at ease; at least under any other circumstance. Kallen then noticed that she'd been staring into Aria's eyes for a good second or so and Rivalz had since noticed.

Aria was the first to speak, raising an eyebrow as she did so. "See something you like?"

The insinuation snapped her out of whatever trance she'd found herself in. "What? No," the idea unsettled her just a bit. She mentally revised her supposition that Aria wasn't capable of creepy.

Kallen almost came unhinged when Gino spoke behind her. "Come on Kallen, couldn't be that bad."

Aria replied, all creepiness gone, "I knew you'd agree with me, Gino; nice to finally meet you," her Irish origin barely evident her voice.

Kallen had heard the story floating about the school since she'd gotten back. The two sisters, obviously adopted given great differences in appearance between the two, were said to have come from the European Universe, from the area formerly known as Ireland, before their mother sent them eastward, the reason never having been questioned by those that had gotten the story.

Gino returned the sentiment, "Likewise. So, Mr. President, what's on the agenda today?"

Rivalz looked up from the map of the school. "Well, while me and Aria go over this," he gestured to the map, "you and Clarice can talk about how they want to handle the publicity. They're going to one of the main events at the festival. They're pretty well known outside the school, so they'll attract more than just students. Also, they can probably be heard across town so we'll get the curious too."

Clarice spoke up for the first time since Kallen had entered the room and unlike her sister, her accent was obvious, rather than reserved to invoke a sense of mystery. It was obvious that, in addition to her being from a much different location originally, she was much more open about herself than her sister; something that Kallen appreciated in a person. "Come on, we can go mee' wif Pe'e an' Sef. I'm sure dey'll ave plenny of ideas. Sef's always wan'ed t' play publicist."

Gino took a moment to process what Clarice had said while Aria responded, "Mostly because he likes talking," then, to Gino, "In case you missed it, Clarie said she's going to introduce you to Peter and Seth."

Gino said, confusion still plain on his face, "Um, sure."

Clarice walked around the table to Gino's side and said sweetly with a smile on her face, "Don' worry, you ge' used t' me af'er a while."

Gino said, "Well, I guess I'll have to trust you on that one," and left with Clarice.

Kallen leaned out into the hallway and watched the two walk away, having been put slightly off balance by how quickly the conversation had gone. She'd been looking forward to this, given that club time was the only point in the day where she could actually talk to Gino without seeming like she was trying to. She'd decided that she was going to play it cool for the time being so that she wouldn't be obvious with her attentions. After all, she had no idea whether her feelings were that serious yet. For all she knew, she'd be over this in a few days; though the sinking feeling in her chest was beginning to say otherwise.

Rivalz brought her back to the present. "So, Kallen," he paused for Kallen to pull her head back into the clubroom before continuing, "Once Alec gets here, you two can start running numbers. You know about what we'll need for the festival. You and Alec make sure that we've got enough money for it. That is if he shows..."

Almost as if on cue, Alec walked in, expressionless as usual. He looked to Kallen and asked, "Has Rivalz filled you in on what we'll be doing today?"

Rivalz was the one to reply first, "Wasn't sure I'd filled you in," confusion on his face.

Alec responded, a questioning eyebrow raised, "What else would I be doing?"

Rivalz shrugged, not having a response of his own.

Kallen spoke next, looking for something to occupy her time. "Well, if we're all up to speed, let's get going." Kallen reached a hand out to Alec's arm, leading him out of the room.

Alec however, simply looked down at the hand, clearly annoyed by the intimacy inferred by the contact.

Kallen withdrew the hand and laughed nervously for a moment. "Um, how about we go outside, I've never really worked well indoors."

Alec looked her in the eyes and inquired, "Are you sure you won't just go looking for your boyfriend?"

Kallen immediately went on the defensive. "What? What are you talking about, that moron's not my boyfriend."

Kallen missed the knowing looks from Rivalz and Aria.

Alec shifted his gaze to the hallway and began to walk out. "Have it your way. Come on, the least we can do is get a feel for the scale of the festival."

She bid Rivalz "See you," and followed Alec out to the grounds.

She and Alec walked around the school, Alec occasionally making notes in a small notebook, talking numbers for the various events and booths they'd decided upon. Kallen's mind was elsewhere. Being in this close a proximity to Alec, the similarities in his face and manner to a certain somebody were beginning to get to her. Sure he wasn't Lelouch, but she just couldn't help staring at him and silently wishing that she was talking about logistics with her former commander.

This was also getting on the nerves of the less than princely young man she had been fixated upon. He abruptly halted in both speech and action, catching Kallen by surprise. "See something that bothers you?" his eye's boring into the girl accompanying him.

She quickly and anxiously tried to cover up what was obvious. "Uh, no of course not."

"Of course not," he repeated in an aggravated tone, "there's got to be some other reason you've been staring at me for the last twenty minutes. I know who I look like, Kallen, don't bother with the pathetic puppy dog eyed looks. I'm not your lost tyrannical lover," seeing that his words had hit home, he decided to add insult to injury, "Though, I'm sure I could be a whole new one." He gave her a malicious grin to punctuate the comment.

Kallen gave him a fist to punctuate his face.

Looking up from the ground, Alec gave a humorless laugh and wiped the blood that began to seep from his nose. "Since, I'm pretty sure you'd never have done that to Lelouch, I'll take that as a good sign." He stood up and took the two steps toward her that'd he'd lost a moment ago.

Kallen began to speak, but Alec put up a finger to silence her. "Look in my eyes Kozuki; I know you haven't managed to do it yet."

Kallen found herself ignoring the finger demanding her silence and instead focused on his eyes. The pale blue eyes before her were empty but for anger born of futility, something she knew well. Lelouch's eyes hadn't had any more hope in them when he and Kallen met, but Lelouch had never had the anger the man before her did.

"Do they hold any of the departed in them?"

Kallen took a step back, taking his face in as a whole once more and found now that all she saw before her was Alec Keane, discontent son of a noble family; no trace of the familiarity she had found before.

Alec seemed to perceive her new mental image of him. "Now that we've gotten that cleared up, let's see if we can't get a normal relationship going." He smiled, still with no humor, but with a flicker of hope in his eyes. "Come on, we've got work to do," he said as he began walking again.

Kallen simply nodded and followed after him, now understanding exactly why Alec had pushed her the way he had.

Gino was having no less trouble with his companion, though at least it was just difficulty understanding what she was saying. Clarice, though, had gotten used to misunderstandings since she had come to what had been Area 11 at the time. "Originally, I'm from a ci'y in da norvern par' of wha' use t' be Britannia befo' da French came. Mos'ly dey leff us alone, so mos' of us stiw spea' Britannian."

Gino, fortunately beginning to get the hang of the accent, caught most of what she'd said and was able to respond. "I would think that they'd want everyone to speak French."

"Ils font, bu' we were far enough norf da' dey jus' lef' us alone. Also, da French aren' da' popular where I lived, fough' you migh've guessed da' alrea'y."

Gino chuckled, having just recently fought a war against the now non-existent EU, "I guess I do. So, you and Aria speak French too?"

"Yeah, dough Aria's be'er a' i' den I am. Fink my Britannian soun's funny?" She laughed at the thought.

Gino joined her in it. "How come your sister doesn't sound much like you do? I've barely noticed her accent."

"Wew, she's from wha' use t' be Irelan', so she's go' a differen' accen' dan I do. An' she's sor' of our spo'esperson, so she's tried t' ge' ri' of er accen'. Ma'es i' easier."

"I guess every band needs one, but wouldn't the accent give her some mystique?"

"I don' mean da ban'. Jus'... jus' for me an' er." Clarice, embarrassed at admitting just how uncomfortable she was around people she didn't know, let her eyes drop to the floor.

Despite how contrary this was to the way she had been acting toward him thus far, Gino immediately got what she was saying. He stepped toward where she had been standing in the corridor they had been exchanging words and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, you've been doing great with me; maybe she won't have to speak for both of you for long."

Clarice smiled and raised her eyes to Gino once again. "Fanks, bu' I reawy don' min'. Come on, le's ge' movin', Sef an' Pe'er are wai'in."

Not long after they were getting out of a cab (a first for Gino) in front of a large estate. Not many such mansions were still occupied, their occupants having returned to the motherland. Without free reign on their businesses and cheap, almost slave, labor, most with business interests in the former Area-11 moved elsewhere. Also, many other nobles in the country, for whatever reasons they had, had left due to the wave of anti-Britannian sentiment among the Japanese population.

The gates before them showed sign of this contempt for the former ruling class. Many of the bars of the wrought iron fencing had been bent or otherwise damaged; likely the result of, Gino thought, angry Japanese citizens looking for a scapegoat. His concern showed on his face as he examined the gate.

Clarice finished speaking to the guard in charge of the gate via intercom and now walked over to Gino. "I wou'n' touch da' if I were you. Anybo'y da' fel' li' climbin' da fence were in for a sho'."

Gino immediately took a step back as the gate slid past his face.

Clarice laughed as she began walking towards the mansion in front of them. While the scene before him wasn't one of the sprawling fields of green landscaping typical of his childhood home and the other noble families he'd visited, the lawn he currently walked thorough via a thin walkway paved in stone showed signs of very careful planning to take advantage of the, comparably, small space in which the landscapers had to work in. Curiously, the owners of the estate had not had Britannian foliage imported and had opted instead for plants and trees indigenous to the island they resided upon; this being curious for the simple fact that Britannian nobility, as far as he'd known, rarely lived in harmony with any place other than the mainland. Wherever Britannians went, Britannia went with them.

Gino's scrutiny of his environment was interrupted by a cheery voice from a man he had somehow managed to overlook. "Pretty isn't it. It's my personal oasis in the city. I don't get out much these days."

Gino turned around to face the man, a pair of brown eyes, a well ordered head of dark hair, and a set of aristocratic features greeted him. However, this face showed something usually lacking in a nobleman's manner, a humble contentment with his surroundings. Even in the height of luxury in the former Imperial Palace at Pendragon, the royalty and other nobility residing there somehow managed to be discontent half the time. The only person he'd ever seen that seemed grateful to be present was Princess Euphemia. Odd considering her choices at the end of her life, but, having seen footage of the massacre, he had begun to have doubts about whether she was even aware of her actions, much less in control of them. Gino responded, "Yeah it is, I don't think I've ever seen a garden like this." Gino had, thus far only seen most of the plants in the garden in pictures or from the few times he'd left the Tokyo Settlement while in Japan.

The head of the estate laughed, "You wouldn't have, though in the future you might see more of them. It's a pleasure to meet you Mr. Weinberg." He extended a hand which Gino took and shook.

"The pleasure's all mine."

"Well, let's get inside, my son and Peter have been waiting for you Clarice," he turned to Clarice, motioning for her and Gino to follow him inside.

As they walked towards the building ahead of them, the Earl Edwards, whose name Gino learned shortly thereafter, tossed some minor conversation over his shoulder. "So, Gino, how is your family doing amongst all this turmoil."

Gino let his gaze drift toward the path he walked upon as he spoke, with something less than enthusiasm. "To be honest, sir, I wouldn't know."

Instead of backpedaling like an overly polite aristocrat, the earl just laughed. "Figures," he replied. "I'm guessing your parents are as stuffy as mine. Don't worry about it; I know where you're coming from. Oh, and don't bother with the formalities. I find them annoying."

The earl's casual disregard for his station and the trappings thereof, something that Gino's father had been near obsessed with, lifted Gino's spirits once again.

It was Clarice that spoke next however, "Yeah, da's li' tha'. Ha'es da aristocracy as much as we do."

Gino looked a bit confused at a certain part of what Clarice had said, which Earl Edwards elucidated upon shortly after Clarice finished speaking. "I insisted that the girls and their caretaker stay here, Clarie here's taken to calling me dad."

Gino was about to reply, but was distracted by entering the Edwards' home. Unlike the exterior, the interior of the estate was very much what one would expect of a nobleman's home. The entryway much resembling those in the 'homes' Gino resided at in his childhood; wood paneled walls painted white with gold trimmings, the marble floor with an ornamented red carpet running down the length of the room's center, paintings hung on the walls, and various heirlooms on pedestals along the walls. Though, like the earl himself, the traditional was tainted by tastes far from ordinary. Several of the paintings on the walls were clearly not of Britannian origin, one of which, that would certainly have caught Kallen's eye, was a simple ink on parchment rendition of a bamboo grove. There was even a vase one of the far corners of the room that appeared Chinese in origin; he had seen many of the same design in the palace of the Forbidden City. As it turned out, much of the house shared this curious trait. It was almost as if Earl Edwards was trying to annoy any other patriotic Britannian that came to his home.

Gino mused on what his father would think of such a place. Duke Weinberg would almost certainly despised the earl for his clear lack of respect for the empire and, although in the earl's company he'd have been pleasant, somehow Gino's father would have found some subtle way to make Earl Edwards' life difficult.

Presently, the three came to a room that was clearly for entertaining guests of Gino's age. Despite the traditional appearance of floor and walls, there hung on one wall a television of unnecessary size (Gino had never been a fan of electronic diversions), and nearby was a small alcove of shelves that held various pieces of audio/visual equipment and at least one device Gino was fairly sure was some form of gaming system, there having been a pair of peripheral devices with brightly colored buttons on top of it.

Earl Edwards turned to face his two guests. "Well, I'll see you around. Must return to the pressing duties of the nobility."

Gino was the only one in earshot to catch the irony, Clarice not having known many nobles. The two bid the earl farewell and walked into the room towards the red couch sitting in front of the television. It was then that one of the two heads above the backing of the couch turned to them. A younger version of the earl came into view. "Hey sis, what's up?"

"Same ole same ole. As if I'd be caugh' dea' doin' somfin in'erestin'." Clarice rounded the couch and joined the two boys. "Ow's i' goin' Pe'e."

The blonde sitting next to the other two spoke up, "About the same. Boredom rules our existence." He smiled despite the expression of ennui.

The young earl chimed in, "Stuff it Peter. Though, I hear you've got something for us to do."

"I do indeed. Our stu'en' counciw's pu'in on a festival, an' dey wan' us t' do a show."

Seth expressed a great deal of excitement at the prospect. It was obvious that he lacked the composure of his father. "Awesome." He tilted his head to rest upon the back of the couch to make eye contact with Gino, who had decided to stand behind the others. "Which is what brings you to our humble abode. Nice to meet ya."

Gino replied, "Likewise. So, shall we get down to business?"

Seth waved a hand dismissively, "Meh, don't worry about it, chill for a sec."

Peter cast a less than friendly look at Seth. "Could you at least try to act like someone with status?"

"Like you're one to talk, peasant boy," this clearly having been a joke between the two, as it was met with a smile from Peter. "You talk like some royal prince guy."

Peter just rolled his eyes, clearly used to his friend's lack of tact. It was likely more a gesture of tolerance tempered by amusement than anything else. "I'm Peter, the drummer. I keep these two in line." He extended a hand for Gino to shake.

"So what to you two play?" He turned his head back to the two occupying the other half of the couch.

"Sef's lea' guitar, I ba' 'im up." Clarice beaming with pride.

"Which leaves Aria singing."

Clarice just nodded her head, clearly glad to be talking about her two favorite people. Gino had also noticed that she was much more at-ease with these two. She had even been leaning against Seth for the past couple of minutes, whereas with Gino, despite having been friendly otherwise hadn't been within a meter of Gino, save their cab ride to the Edwards' estate.

Peter spoke next. "How about you join us?" He indicated the still empty space between him and Seth. "The news is about to start, and I need someone to help defending the remote from those two."

Gino took his place on the couch as the familiar face of Milly Ashford appeared on the screen. After greeting the viewing audience, she went into the first story of the evening. "Earlier today, Prime Minister Ohgi welcomed Empress Nunnally Vi Britannia of the Britannian empire. Empress Nunnally and her delegation are here to attend discussions on trade policies between our two nations and to speak on her plans for foreign relations between her empire, the nation of Japan, and the rest of the U.F.N. On this subject she had this to say:" the picture now shifted to Nunnally sitting behind a podium, Zero standing behind her.

"It is my sincere hope that in the future, all people of the world will be able to work together for the benefit of all. I charge all representatives of the noble empire of Britannia to endeavor to achieve this goal." Nunnally reached a hand back to place it upon the hand holding her chair.

"As my dear friend Zero once said of the United States of Japan, Britannia shall be a nation that accepts all peoples, histories, and ideologies."

After showing a few seconds of applause from the audience, the picture returned to Milly who continued, "However, her message of diplomacy was brought into question as First Prince of Britannia Schneizel proved to be..." She paused a moment, covertly repressing her objections to the words she was to use. Gino mused to himself that freedom of the press must still be a work in progress. "...less than agreeable in talks on sakuradite mining and trade. When asked about his unwillingness," she hesitated again, "to accept Japanese proposals he had this to say."

The picture again changed to show Schneizel standing amongst a group of reporters with several microphones pointed his direction. In a conversational and very polite tone, Schneizel said, "It is my opinion that because Britannian companies still own much of the mining rights to Japan's sakuradite deposits, a claim that has yet to be disputed by the Japanese government, it stands to reason that those companies and, by extension, the Britannian Empire itself should be the party responsible for dictating terms of any trade agreement pertaining to the mining and distribution of mineral sakuradite."

After this clip finished playing, Milly quickly moved on to other subjects, clearly eager to be done with criticizing her former prince. Gino and the others moved on to their official business, but Gino's mind lingered on Prince Schneizel's actions. In the time Gino had known him, Schneizel had always seemed a prudent man, very well versed in diplomacy and the art of negotiation. In this case however, he was making the novice mistake of thinking he did not have to make concessions. Even a warrior like Gino could see the problem with that mindset. Yet here Schneizel was, acting like a clichéd stuck up Britannian prince. Gino, before having his mind diverted to less confusing matters, found himself hoping that his prince knew what he was doing.

Kallen meanwhile was finishing up her business with Alec and watching the sun go down. Alec sat next to her on a stone bench at the main entrance to the Academy. Alec dotted a last period and said nonchalantly, "Which brings that to a close. Oh, and my driver is here if you'd like to join me."

At the last moment of Alec's sentence, a black car appeared at the gate. Kallen sat for a moment just looking at the vehicle. She turned to Alec and asked, "How do you do that?"

With a smile that showed actual amusement, a first in Kallen's experience with him, Alec replied, "Just a talent of mine I guess." He stood and began walking to the car. After a moment he stopped, looked over his shoulder, and called to Kallen, "Come on," as if she was a favorite servant of his. Warm, but condescending all the same.

While such a tone would have been fit for one in the young man's employ, Kallen bristled at it. She quickly stood to put herself on the same level. "What do you think I am, a dog?"

His smile took on a more dangerous character, "Only if you'd like to be." He continued walking toward the car.

Kallen watched his back for a few seconds, knowing she was going to follow but not yet willing to accept it. However, she soon found herself reluctantly climbing into the back seat with Alec.

Without looking toward her he asked, "So, where are we going?"

"I thought you would know," she said with a frown, challenging the omniscient air he put on.

He took the challenge with an amused chuckle; he was clearly enjoying his game. "I do, but I know you'd rather say it."

She spat out the address of Tamaki's to the driver. She wasn't about to go anywhere with Alec where there was any chance of them being alone.

Alec, however, had other plans, "We will only be a few minutes there. Afterwards we will return to the estate."

She was surprised and angered by his gall. "Without me you mean."

Sarcastically, "Of course."

They rode in silence, Kallen still fuming. A short time passed and they arrived at Tamaki's. Alec instructed his driver to wait while they were inside. As the two entered, Kallen heard the beginnings of Tamaki's usual gregarious welcome that was cut off as he noticed the young Britannian standing next to her and the less than joyful look on Kallen's face. Alec paid no heed to their host and instead walked to over to the temporarily silent jukebox next to the wall.

Tamaki rounded the bar, moving to Kallen's side and speaking in quiet Japanese, "One word from you and they won't find him till next week."

Kallen sighed, annoyed by the inference, but realizing it was just his way of expressing concern. She replied, linguistically, in kind, "Don't worry, he's just a bit of a jerk." She joined Alec at the juke box. Something in the way he eyed the song catalogue made her a bit confused. He thumbed through the laminated pages as if looking intently for something specific. "Looking for something?"

He simply pointed a finger at one of the entries on the page, "No, found it." He punched in the identification number and the computer inside began the track.

Kallen looked down to see the title of the song; "Bullet with Butterfly Wings."

As the music began, Alec seemed to have fallen into some sort of hypnosis. He stood and listened intently to the heavy drum line, the harsh guitar, the singer proclaiming himself a rat in a cage. Kallen thought to herself that the song fit Alec perfectly.

Her question brought him out of his trance, "Is there something wrong?" Confusion, rather than concern, motivated the question.

Alec smiled, a real smile this time, however demonic it may have seemed, "No, it's just that I've never heard music like that. My father doesn't care much for music."

It was Kallen's turn to be surprised, "You care what your father likes?"

His smile fled, "Tell me Kallen, when you were at your father's house, how much of the commoner's world did you experience. I didn't have the luxury of a mother with ties to the outside world. Besides, my father is not one you simply ignore." The bitterness and anger were plain in his voice. His anger began to ebb after finishing his admonishment of his parents. He turned to Kallen and asked her in a contemplative tone, "Tell me Kallen, do you believe the gods conspire to have us experience something for the first time with the ideal partner to share it with?"

Kallen having completely misunderstood nearly screamed, "What?"

Alec laughed, "Not that," he shook his head, "It is my belief that I was to hear this song for the first time in a place my culture's influence could not touch, with the best person to guide me to a certain conclusion. Come, I have need of your assistance."

He led her out the door, Kallen waving off Tamaki's protests, out to the car still waiting for them. However, just before reaching the car, Kallen heard Alec mutter something that sounded like, "So this is why I couldn't see any farther."

A few hours had passed since Clarice had brought Gino to the Edwards' home and that which had brought them there had been completed. Aria, her business with Rivalz completed, and Seth were taking care of getting all their promotional materials together.

Clarice now stood with Gino on the balcony outside the room she shared with her sister. The confidence in his eyes reminded her of the brother her adopted mother had. He'd always been the one to find her when she'd hidden from everyone during the first few months after she'd been freed from those that had brought her into the world; this being the only good thing she could credit to the pair. Uncle Lu would always look in just the right spot just when she'd needed a smiling face to drive away the fears she'd had of being unwanted or of being too much trouble, or worse, the feelings of being completely alone. Now though, it looked like Gino was the one needing a bit of help. He hadn't been quite the same since watching the news earlier. She decided to bring this up. "Gino, is something wrong? You look worried."

"It's nothing, don't worry about it."

She just looked at him for a few seconds the same way her sister looked at her when she was hiding something, the one that always works.

Naturally Gino didn't last long against it, "Ok... It's just something that Lord Schneizel said. I'm worried the Japanese are going to take it the wrong way." His eyes drifted toward the lawn below.

"Oh," she tried to hide the disappointment from her voice. She'd been hoping for something she could help with... and something romantic, which she would've enjoyed. She decided to help nudge the conversation in that direction. "So what do you think Kallen would think of it?"

Gino looked surprised at the question, but honestly thought about it for a few moments. He laughed at what he came up with. "She would probably just call him a stuck up Britannian and leave it at that." The way he smiled and looked off into the starry sky was just the reaction Clarice had wanted.

"She is pretty cool right?"

"She's one hell of a pilot."

"And one hell of a girl too, right?" She attempted to goad him into admitting something.

He again thought about it for a moment, "I guess you could say that."

The noncommittal response irked her a bit, but she didn't have any longer to try and meddle as her sister spoke up behind them.

"So, this's been where you two've been hiding," her grin evident in her voice.

Gino's start almost made him jump over the balcony railing, despite it being chest high and very sturdy. "Where did you come from?" breathing heavily as he attempted to speak. Someone getting the drop on him was a new thing.

"Behin'dyou," she said conversationally, as if actually answering his question. "What've you been up to anyway?"

"Just talking a bit." Clarice tried to pass it off as small talk, though she knew Aria wouldn't believe a word of it.

"I'm sure," Aria said, still grinning, knowing full well what Clarice was up to. "Well, c'mon downstairs, Seth wan'ed to watch something until Michael, our bassist, get's here."

"Oh, alright." Gino began heading down to the T.V. room.

Aria, however, stopped Clarice, saying, "Interfering huh? You'know what mommy would say abou'that."

"It's not interference if it's supposed to happen," her eyes moved downward, breaking eye contact with her sister, "besides, it wasn't going very well."

Aria laughed and drew her sister into a hug, "As crazy about romance as mommy, you're cute. They are adorable though."

The other half of 'they' sat in Alec bedroom now, asking herself why every few seconds. His bedroom was very much what you'd expect from a noble son whose father was dedicated to tradition. Kallen sat on Alec's four post bed while her host sat at his computer desk some small number of meters away. He had been looking through an online music store for several minutes and had not, as yet, said anything.

"If this is such a big thing, why didn't you just try listening to this stuff earlier?"

Alec gave her the amused chuckle that was really beginning to piss her off. "If Gino's so important to you, why didn't you try to make a move sooner? Simple, I had no idea it would affect me this much. Think about it though, it's perfect. I can obey most of my father's rules, and drive him insane with something passive."

"You're actively driving me insane. Can I go home?" coming mostly from boredom, this lacked her usual aggressive edge. She wasn't about to deny his comment about Gino, she was quickly learning that keeping something from Alec was futile.

"No, you'll be staying the night in guest quarters down the hall. They've already been prepared for you."

This pissed her off. "How the hell do you always know what's going to happen?" Kallen was surprised that this came out as a question rather than an accusation of him being a know it all.

"I'm a forceful person, and I know how to get what I want. Let's talk about you for a while though. Gino, what exactly does he mean to you?"

"What is this some kind of interrogation? I'm not going to tell you anything." She looked away.

Alec realized his error and, to Kallen's surprise, admitted it. "Sorry, I forget feelings are a sensitive subject for most people."

Kallen found herself able to believe that. After all, she hadn't seen anything but seething anger in him since she'd met him. "It's alright."

"Heh, I'm not much for feelings myself. I've been a nihilist as long as I can remember. But my story is not one for tonight." His bravado returned.

"Fine," she sighed and thought about how she'd answer Alec question. However, a question of her own came to mind. "Why do you care? It's not like it's something you'd be interested in."

"The question wasn't for my benefit." He nodded, indicating that Kallen should continue.

"Well, I don't know, honestly. Most of the time I can't stand him. Sometimes though, I can't help but want to be close to him."

"If I could make an opportunity for you to be close to him, would you take it?" the look on his face made it obvious that he meant what he said.

Kallen made to answer right away, but couldn't. She asked herself what she would do once she was. Alec answered for her, "In the interest of time, as we have to be at school in the morning. I will assume your lack of refusal means you'll eventually accept." Kallen merely nodded in response. "Good." He turned around in his chair and stared into space for a moment or two. When he turned back to face Kallen he stated, as if he were simply reporting a fact, "You will ask him if he would like the spare room at your home, give him the rest of the school day and he will accept. Now then, I believe it's time we slept. My servants will take you to your room." He motioned to the door.

This was when Kallen caught the glint in Alec's left eye from a contact lens and the pieces clicked into place. The only way he could know so much before it happened, _geass._ She had him pinned to the desk behind him before he knew what was going on. He shouted in protest, "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Take out your contact lens, now!"

He lifted a hand to his eye and removed the lens, revealing a perfectly normal blue eye.

As Kallen let him up he said, annoyance brimming over, "I'll chalk that up to a life of paranoia and fighting, but would appreciate it if you would refrain in the future."

Kallen gave a muttered apology and hurried out of Alec's room.

She was escorted to her room, after calling her mother and asking if she could spend the night, which her mother happily agreed to, by a pair of servants in French maid uniforms; uniforms which did not cover overly much. Kallen sighed and dismissed this as a rich boy being a rich _boy_. The guest room was very well appointed and very comfortable for an unfamiliar room in the house of someone she less than trusted. Her sleep, however, was made disconcerting by a dream of Gino wearing much less than befitted a knight of the Round. The next morning she availed herself of the Keans' shower; scrubbing herself a full ten minutes longer than she would have any other morning.

* * *

Final Note: I attempted Clarice's accent with only a Wikipedia article and the Arctic Monkeys to guide me. If anyone knows where on the internet I can listen to some conversational Yorkshire dialect from the Leeds / Sheffield area, I'd appreciate it. Also, for those of you looking for a break from the talking we'll have a bit more action in the next chapter.


	4. Changes

Disclaimer: All claims to Geass belong to Sunrise, Bandai, etc.

A.N. Again, sorry for the long wait. With my life returning to something like normal, I should be able to get into a good groove again. Without further dithering and excuse-making I give you...

Ch 4: Changes

* * *

Two men, former nobility both, now sat alone with little in the way of illumination between them. In days past, this darkness would have suited them for the simple reason that darkness meant they could do as they wished without the annoying consequences of breaking the appearance of morality. In the heyday of the empire, not so long past but an eternity ago for these two, the empire was run from rooms much like this. Favors traded, deals made, real business conducted from these shadows they now took refuge in. This day, darkness protected them from the harsh reality that they were now little more than common citizens. This pain was assuaged by their still considerable fortunes, but for the first time, money was not the point; nor power even, as there was still much of that to be had. That game would never end. No, what drove these men to the frigid comfort of the darkness, demons without and within very much on their heels, was a much less concrete thing, something one could not complain of losing in daylight without seeming weak; this was a matter of pride.

These two men had lost their pride. Their lineage had been their pride, the reason they could hold their heads high, even in the company of the upstarts that, every day, worked to overcome them; for at night, in said upstart's private corner of the shadows, they would realize that they would never have that one thing that elevated some above all those without, lineage. Now, that pride had been stripped from them, snatched from their grasp as an heirloom from a child's hand, by one cloaked in that highest and most revered of stations. Now, the demon's, he who had walked in both shadow and light, his sister held their pride above their heads, just out of reach while she, alone, retained that which was hers.

These two simple representatives of their noble class, wrapped as they were, in their dark blanket, did not hate her; for hate was unbecoming nobility.

A world away, the students of Ashford academy worked away in the sunshine, finishing their booths and exhibits. As those around her continued their preparations, Kallen felt a great of pride for her fellow students. For the first time, she saw many of them working closely with the Japanese staff they had, until recently, only been simple acquaintances of, if that.

This change, much like certain others, was coming on gradually as the two weeks before the festival began to go by.

Less poignant, in some ways, was Kallen's struggle with the suggestion Alec had made. A few days after her stay at Alec's, she finally decided to take his advice. She had tried to offhandedly inquire about the one spare room their home had, but her mother had quickly wrested the details out of her and had, with a very motherly smile, agreed to let Gino move in. This had turned out to be the easy part.

With Aria and Clarice behind her, she found herself watching Gino from around a corner, preparing to ask him a question she wasn't going to think about until she asked it.

Aria echoed something Kallen had been thinking earlier, "What's got you so nervous? You're acting like a girl." Her tone suggested that her jibe should only be taken as an insult by one not accustomed to doing so.

Well, echoed up until the second sentence. Aria's casual insults were a bit annoying, but Kallen was getting used to it. From what Clarice said, it meant Aria liked her. Kallen wasn't sure if she liked Aria back yet. Clarice, however, was a different story. In the couple days since Gino 'introduced' them, he'd reflexively given in to the formality; Kallen had grown to like the girl. Clarice was more reserved that she'd originally guessed, but she was also a very nice person to be around and, in the right company, was more than sociable.

"Don't you guys think it's weird for a girl to ask a guy to live with her? We're not even dating."

The two girls looked a bit confused and Clarice was the one to speak to this. "No' really. We've lived wif Mi'el for a lon' time. I's never been weir'."

"I guess I'm asking the wrong people." She turned around the corner again to look Gino's way. He had taken to greeting her every morning when she got to school, something Kallen was beginning to enjoy now that the awkwardness of her feelings had begun to subside. She'd managed to dodge him this morning after having stayed over with Clarice and Aria, as Britannian history was far from their strong suit, and as such had arrived sooner than she normally would have.

Aria gave a soft but insistent tug on Kallen's shoulder to turn her around again. "Kallen don't worry so much, this isn't life or death. Just ask him, come up with some excuse, and he'll be none the wiser." She gave Kallen a reassuring smile, then added in a purely conversational tone, with no trace of the inference she was making, "Besides, I'm sure he's just itching for the chance to be close to your bed come nighttime."

This had been the other thing Clarice had explained to Kallen about her sister. Aria had severe problems with personal space, mostly in the sense that she was completely baffled when it came to said concept. To hear Clarice speak about it, it wasn't that Aria was a pervert or that she liked offending people, she just didn't understand how the subject could possibly be offensive.

In light of this, Kallen just chose to ignore her comment. She'd gotten used to Gino's playful and, sad as she was to remind herself, joking advances, so why not Aria's? Aria was also right; she didn't have anything _legitimate_ to worry about; except making a fool of herself. However, from the way Kallen looked at it, she was a fool for having these feelings, so why worry about making it a little worse? She steeled herself for what she was about to do and gave her friends a smile. "Ok, let's go for it."

As she left the two bid her good luck.

Gino soon caught sight of her and started walking over to her. "Hey Kallen," he began once he was in earshot, "Where've you been?"

The rhetorical question she'd asked herself a moment ago rendered her surprisingly capable of speech. "I spent the night at Seth's with Aria and Clarice, so I got here a little late," she decided to account for her time lurking around the corner by pleading lateness.

"Oh yeah, I remember Clarice mentioning something like that, I think..." he scratched his head a moment, sorting out what Clarice had said quickly in passing the day before. He was still getting used to the 'Yor sure' accent.

Kallen laughed a bit in return, and decided it'd be best to get her business out of the way quickly. "Hey, can I ask you something?"

"Sure, go right ahead," he said, looking a bit confused.

"Well, it's just me and my mom living at my house, and we've got this extra room. I was wondering if you'd want it." She managed to sound decently casual, despite the butterflies flitting about in her stomach.

Gino took a moment to process the statement she just 'asked.' "Do you want me to move in with you?"

The unintentional inference left Kallen a bit disoriented. He hurriedly tried to explain in as conversational a tone as she could manage, despite her embarrassment, "It's not like that. I just wondered if you'd like our spare room, that's all. I mean it must be kind of lonely living by yourself in the dorms, I thought you might like the company. You don't have to; it's not a big deal or anything. Forget I asked."

"No, I'd love to."

"Huh?" She just stood there, her success not quite registering.

"I think it's a great idea. I have to ask permission first, I was stationed at Ashford, but I'd love to. I'll call right now and let you know after school. I'll see you later." He dashed off to a less crowded area.

Kallen managed a quiet, "Ok," and stood for a few moments, not sure of what had just happened.

After telling her friends how it went, in small monosyllabic responses, Kallen spent the rest of the day thinking of what she was going to do now that she'd asked Gino to stay at her house. Alec's prediction kept her from worrying if he'd get permission to do so, as she was beginning to trust said predictions, so she was unsurprised when a grinning Gino asked if she'd help him move his things to his new room. After their work for the festival was done for the day, there was a car waiting for them at the front gate, courtesy of "Master Alec," to assist them.

Following an awkward, at least for Kallen, dinner, one in which Gino displayed an unexpected grasp of Japanese etiquette; the pair found themselves heading to Gino's room to get him settled in. Though this was not before Kallen's mother insisted that they keep his door open. Gino didn't get to see Kallen cheeks turn the same color as her hair.

"I have to admit, I never thought I'd end up here." Gino said, walking over to his new window while Kallen entered the room and leaned against the wall next to the door. Gino thought about what he'd just said for a moment and thought he should clarify, lest he invoke Kallen's wrath. "I mean here at your house," he laughed nervously for a moment. When he looked back to Kallen, however, her face was devoid of her usual annoyance.

"I know what you meant," she said, eyes not quite meeting his.

"Hey, come on now. I didn't accept the offer to watch you sulk all night." He walked over to his bed, sat down, and patted the mattress next to him.

Kallen eyed him suspiciously. "Don't even think of trying anything."

"There's the Kallen I know. Relax; you know I'm a perfect gentleman."

Kallen had to laugh a bit at that.

"See, that wasn't so hard, was it? Now come here and have a seat."

Which she did; however, the ability to speak would not come so easily. Sitting with Gino alone, on his bed, no less, left her heart racing as much as battle ever had. As much as any of those moments with Lelouch had, and she'd been in fairly compromising positions for more than one. Yet here she was, crushing on the boy next to her like some schoolgirl. The thought drove her nuts.

Gino looked into her eyes, giving her his usual smile and asked in a conversational tone, "Why so quiet tonight? It's not like you."

"Well, I just don't have anything to say." A bald-faced lie, but at least he wouldn't notice.

"Really, that's surprising."

His tendency to be blunt was getting on her nerves, but with her nerves in the state they were in, she barely noticed the unintentional insult. She grasped for something to talk about, "Well... I was wondering where you learned Japanese customs."

"Oh," he broke eye contact and said with a touch of uncertainty creeping into his voice, "We had a... servant... in one of our homes in Area Eleven that taught me. I still remember some of the Japanese she taught me too."

"Did your parents approve of that?" Her own father never cared for her learning anything about Japan.

His expression took on a melancholic tone, "No, they didn't."

"Yeah, I know how that is. How did you get away with it?" she ventured, not wanting to pry, but being interested all the same.

"In the end I didn't. We didn't say anything to my family for a while, but I convinced her that we should be open about it. I... I never saw her again." He looked sad for a few moments; the unspoken story behind his words all too clear to Kallen. She wished she hadn't asked. He soon recovered and tried to pass it off, "But that was a long time ago."

"I'm sorry." On the surface, she had just meant to apologize for was bringing up a painful subject. However, she felt that she meant it in a much more important way. This new side of the Britannian knight was the last thing needed to show her that Gino had never been just another Britannian, that he was just a person, just like her. She cursed herself for assuming he'd never felt what it was like to suffer because of Britannian bigotry. Most of all, however, she hated herself for assuming he couldn't care about someone that wasn't Britannian. She'd been something of a bigot to Gino, and she wished she could say as much, despite her inability to manage more than a meager 'I'm sorry.'

Gino, however, remained blissfully ignorant of how much his story had affected her. "Don't worry about so much Kallen. Like I said it was a long time ago. There's no reason for you to be sad on my account."

"I'm not sad, I'm angry. I'm angry that your family's racism ruined your relationship with her. I'm angry, I'm angry because... because I'm doing the same thing." She couldn't hide the tear that loosed itself from her eye, regardless of her best efforts to stop it. "I'm sorry, Gino."

"Woah, slow down," he said plaintively, "I don't remember you hurting me in any way. You just don't like Britannians right?"

She realized he was right about not liking Britannians, but this was far from making her feel better. This also when she remembered what Gino had clearly forgot. As calmly as possible, she reminded him, "What about those times I tried to kill you? Remember those?"

"Oh right. I suppose I forgot."

This sapped of the last vestiges of self control she had left. She found herself standing, outright yelling, "You forgot? If Suzaku hadn't interrupted us, I would've killed you over Tokyo that night. I wouldn't have even felt that bad about it. It might've just been a game to you, but it was real for me. I thought you were just some Britannian knight. I would've killed you just because you were Britannian. I'd even met you before, and I was still going to kill you as if you were some faceless Knightmare pilot." She stood silently, not able to look at Gino, the guilt she felt for all the people she'd killed without pause threatening to overwhelm her. A lump formed in her throat as she told herself that there was no way that she was going to cry.

Gino, sensing that the time for words had long since passed, stood slowly and held Kallen to his chest as her composure left her. The pair stood for several minutes as Kallen let her soul flow out onto Gino's shirt until she could continue no longer. Gino took this as his cue to speak up. He spoke softly, "Don't worry so much. Not that I think you should need it, but I forgave you before you even took a shot at me." She looked up into his smiling eyes, seeing that they had shed a tear or two, and she began to sob once more.

A few hugs and assurances later, Gino helped Kallen to bed, but was stopped in the hallway by Kallen's mother. "Oh, Kozuki-san, don't worry, I was just saying goodnight."

She responded with her mother-smile. "I know, and thank you, Gino. I think that's been a long time coming and I'm happy to see that Kallen finally has someone that she can talk to. I know she appreciates it as well, even though she doesn't always say so."

"Thanks, I'm glad I have someone like that too."

She nodded and turned to leave, "Goodnight Gino."

"Goodnight Kozuki-san."

"You can call me mom if you'd like," she said looking over her shoulder before heading off to her room, eliciting a nervous chuckle from Gino, getting the inference.

As Gino returned to his, he thought to himself that he hoped Kallen would know how much having her friendship meant to him, too.

The next evening, as rain fell on Tokyo and Kallen gave a less than detailed account to her new girl friends, Milly began her evening news report. She had gotten used to delivering bad news, especially following the Second Battle of Tokyo, but it was no more pleasant now than ever.

After delivering her customary greeting of her viewers, she delved into her first, and most troubling, story of the evening. "Earlier today, Tokyo metropolitan police were forced to disperse a crowd when violence broke out at a civil rights demonstration aimed at achieving equal opportunity at a prominent Britannian investment firm. Officials are uncertain as to who or what sparked the outbreak. Six people, all Britannian, were harmed in the outbreak, two of whom or listed in serious condition. No arrests have been made in connection with the incident. The Tokyo police would appreciate any information our viewers may have."

Later on, after she had finished for the evening, she looked back on what few details she'd been given about the violence that had transpired earlier in the day. From what she'd seen during her time as a reporter, the police, for the most part, were more than proficient at their job but had yet to even piece together a basic timeline of events. Even though it was unlikely for them to ever find the direct cause of the small scale riot, they could've at least, from witness testimony, gotten a decent idea. This inherently meant one of two things; either the riot was intentionally started (unlikely given Japan's political climate, Ohgi had managed to keep a firm hand on the police) or the police had determined that the incident was caused by the Japanese at the demonstration and the media were to cover it up so that the public would assume that the Britannians had provoked the reaction. This way, the incident would give power to the various anti-Britannian movements currently in operation. The Prime Minister could keep the police from starting anything with the Britannians, but he was hard pressed to get them to portray Britannians in anything but a negative light, and Milly's bosses weren't making the situation any better.

She decided on the latter, having much more evidence in its favor than her other theory. While it was not the most solid conclusion, it was at least something to go on; the rest was up to her copious meddling skills.

The evening had one more unpleasant surprise waiting for her. As she left her dressing-room, hoping to make it to the hospital the injured Britannians rested in before visiting hours ended, the director called her over.

"Milly-chan, I have some bad news," his insincere tone clearly stating he did not find the news unpleasant in the slightest.

She laughed, attempting to keep the mood light. "I don't think I can handle much more of that tonight."

"Sorry, Milly-chan, but the higher ups say that you're just not bringing in the audience we want, so we're going to have to go with someone else on the evening report. We're trying to find a more suitable slot for you, so we'll let you know."

After a few more pleasantries and unfelt apologies, Milly found herself walking the streets of the media district with rapidly disappearing career prospects. Her mood, however, was not one of anxiety, or even, one of anger; only that of annoyance. She had seen this coming for some time, after the Britannian network executives left the country in a hurry and she quickly became the only Britannian left at the network. The only reason she'd lasted as long as she had was the following she'd picked up beforehand, but with anti-Britannian sentiment at an all time high and the execs looking to move to an all Japanese language format, her getting fired was inevitable.

Despite this, she still had her press-pass for the time being and that was all she needed. She boarded a train to the hospital. It was going to be a long night.

The following day, the news of anti-Britannian violence had the whole of Ashford academy on edge. The preparation for the festival continued and had found a new sense of purpose; bringing Britannian and Japanese together before things got any worse. To the student council's surprise, this only brought the students and the Japanese assisting with preparations closer together; with only a few suspicious glances from one side to the other.

Kallen walked toward the council room after having been held up trying to get Tamaki, Sugiyama, and Minami settled in the stall they would be using for the festival. Minami and Sugiyama had been easy to convince but, naturally, Tamaki was still being difficult. However, his attitude toward participating in a Britannian school's festival was getting to her more than it should. In the past, Tamaki had been, at most, an annoyance, but now his distaste for Britannians was beginning to make her outright angry. She decided that the reason for this was the new perspective she was observing the situation from. She was accustomed to agreeing with him even though his way of stating his points was less than intelligent. Since her 'talk' with Gino, she noticed that almost every bit of Tamaki's reasoning was blind prejudice. She decided she give him the benefit of the doubt for now as he'd watched many of his friends get killed by Britannians and, if his stories were to be believed, the Britannians hadn't ever been kind to him, so he deserved patience at least. Besides, she figured that five minutes with Seth and a bottle of sake would change his opinion, even if he would never admit it.

She also reflected on how her walk to school had been different than usual. The previous morning, she and Gino had been met with wary acceptance, no one wanting to cause trouble with Gino after what happened to the last person to try. Earlier that day however, she and Gino had been treated like normal people, rather than as outcasts. Their neighbors had made it clear that they didn't approve of what the protestors the day before had done and one of the ladies that had stopped to talk to them went so far as to refer to Gino as a nice boy. High praise from someone Kallen had previously heard profess a hatred of all things Britannian. Kallen was sure her mother, and her mother's newly found big mouth when talking about Kallen, had been responsible for this change of heart, and the small riot had put everyone on edge just enough to want to get their opinion out in the open.

Her good mood was further improved when she opened the door to the club room and found a familiar, but unexpected face among her friends.

"Hi Kallen, long time no see." Milly waved to her from where she had taken a seat on the table between Rivalz's and Gino's seats. Alec had taken a seat at the table end closest to the door.

"Yeah, it's been a while. Don't you have to be at work though?"

"Nope, they got rid of me. Don't worry though, you know me. I'll get by." Her face took on a more serious character. "Now that everyone's here, I found out what happened yesterday."

Gino offered his assessment, "Let me guess, one of the Japanese protesters started it."

"Bingo. That was the reason we couldn't even get a theory out of the police on how it started."

"Are we looking at a conspiracy? The Japanese don't have a reason to hurt Britannians now."

"If it only were that easy. I made calls to everyone that might have a hand in this and even through their attempts to keep me out of their business, I could tell they had no idea this was coming. After talking to one of the men injured by the mob, I think this was just an accident. The man I talked to said he was coming home from work and wanted to see how the protest was going. Apparently his wife had been denied employment by the company they were protesting against."

Rivalz spoke up, "I thought only Britannians were hurt."

"From what I can tell that's true." Rivalz offered an 'oh,' before Milly continued. "He said that after he asked one of the people in the crowd how things were going, a couple of others confronted him and told him to leave. As he was backing away, he slipped on a wet curb and fell forward into one of the men that were trying to get him to leave. It went downhill from there."

Alec spoke next, "Naturally, even though there's no official proof, the Britannian community will be in an outrage. My father has already made a formal complaint and many other will do the same shortly. It's only a matter of time before a Britannian group tries to exact revenge."

Kallen finished Alec's thought, "And from there it just gets worse."

Two nights later, a group of Britannian workers attacked a Japanese couple walking alone, leaving the man badly injured and his girlfriend in a coma. Details of the incident were kept to a minimum to forestall further retaliation.

It was under the threat of imminent mass violence that the Cultural Festival was forced to proceed. Despite this, one could barely notice the tension in the air as Rivalz officially declared the festival underway, speaking entirely in Japanese. It had taken Rivalz some time to memorize and even though it was hard to tell what the Britannians in attendance thought, the Japanese people in the audience at least got a good laugh from his horribly obvious Britannian accent.

Even Tamaki ended up in a good mood, thanks in no small part to, as Kallen had predicted, Seth. Music was the one thing from Britannia that Tamaki allowed himself to enjoy and Seth was more than happy to play some of his favorites.

After she left Tamaki and Seth to be as loud and energetic as they wanted, which was quickly making their booth one of the most popular, she caught a wisp of bright green hair turn a corner around one of the school buildings. It was not much longer before she caught up with its owner near the giant oven that would soon hold a giant pizza. That was, barring some misfortune. However, given that the only two Knightmare pilots in the vicinity were working together to create it and there weren't any masked revolutionaries currently enrolled, there was a decent chance they'd manage it this year.

"So, you decided to come after all," Kallen called out as she approached her old friend.

C.C. turned to face her, "Third time's the charm they say."

"I made sure that we'd have plenty of Tabasco, so you shouldn't have anything to complain about."

"We'll see about that," C.C. said smiling.

"Where've you been since... you know," using the vagary more for her sake than C.C.'s.

"Around. Though I did have a chance to speak with him."

Kallen's heart skipped a beat, "He's alive? How?"

That was the first time she'd ever seen C.C. look saddened by something. "He isn't."

"What do you mean by that? How could you talk to him if he was dead?" She was quickly getting angrier with each passing moment.

"I can't tell you," C.C. replied, resuming her usual defensive tone.

"Why not?"

"Because he doesn't want you involved with Geass any more than you already are. All he wanted me to do was give you a message. He wanted you to know that he doesn't regret what happened to him and that he's sorry for leaving you to finish what he started."

Kallen was forced to accept what she already knew Lelouch had wanted for her. "Sounds like him." She thought about what C.C. had said last, "What do you mean finish what he started?"

C.C. resumed her usual smug smile. "He said I should leave that up to you to figure out."

Kallen returned the smile, if not feeling it. "That sounds like something he'd say, too." She turned to leave, knowing she wouldn't get anything else out of the immortal. "Stay out of sight, some former Black Knights are here, I don't think it'd be good for you to get noticed. I'll get you some pizza when it's ready," she tossed over her shoulder as she walked away, knowing full well C.C. would be first in line to be served without a care for her safety and then vanish until the next time she felt like making an appearance.

Shortly after Kallen's meeting with the witch, said serving, the culmination of hours of Knightmare choreography sessions for both Gino and Kallen, was carried off without a problem. For once.

Having just finished enjoying a slice of the massive pizza her friends had made, Clarice sat listening to the radio backstage, waiting for Aria and the others to finish getting ready for the concert. She had somehow managed to be the first one into makeup and costume. Aria naturally would be in the dressing room for some time, always wanting to look her best, but Peter seemed to be as meticulous with his makeup and Seth was just being difficult; even though his makeup was little more than some work on his hair, a set of face paint whiskers, and a pair of black cat ears. She adjusted her own matching headband and continued tuning her guitar. She thought to herself about what she was about to do. She'd had plenty of stage experience in the last few months, but they'd all been small venues; nothing compared to the number of people she was about to perform in front of. Not to mention the outfit she'd be wearing. A shiver went up her bare back.

"Geez, Clarie, I can feel that from here," Michael said from behind her, clutching his arms to his chest and feigning a shiver of his own.

"Sorry, Uncle M, I can't help it."

Michael walked over to her and laid a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Don' worry so much. Jus' pretend everybody's as almost naked as you are."

"You aren't helping." She held her guitar close, taking comfort from it.

Aria appeared in the doorway, making final adjustments to the bright pink bunny outfit she wore. "I can' believe I had t' get this thing's chest taken in. How big are Kallen's breasts anyway? Clarie, take a look, I'm not small am I?" She pushed her chest outward for Clarice to get a better look.

Seth, who had just entered the backstage area behind her, stopped, made an abrupt about-face while muttering an apology, and ran directly into Peter.

"You could try watching where you're going on occasion," Peter taunted.

"Hey, jus' 'cause women don't affect you doesn' mean we're all so unfortunate."

Peter just pushed past Seth toward the radio, listening intently as a news broadcast interrupted what Clarice had been listening to, the others followed suit.

"Following the rumored death of Kagazaki Mia-san, one of two people assaulted by a group of rouge Britannians several days ago, a large scale riot has broken out in the new Downtown region of Tokyo. Details are still scarce as police attempt to maintain order. We will continue to report as new information is available. To all citizens; please remain indoors and under no circumstances should you leave your homes."

Seth's dismay showed on his face. "Well, there goes our plans."

"No," Aria said quickly, "This just gives us more reason t' go on. Think aboud it for a second. What message do we send t' everyone if we just run 'n hide? No, the show must go on." With that, Aria strode out onto the main area of the stage, still hidden by the curtain; Peter and Michael, the dog and fox respectively, followed the pink rabbit to take their places.

Seth, however, walked to Clarice's side and held out a hand for her. "Commin' sis?"

She allowed herself to be lead on stage just as Rivalz finished introducing them. Clarice could hear him, slightly muffled by the curtain. "...They will be available for pictures shortly after the concert. Now, without further ado, here is Aria of Black Parade!"

As the curtain opened, Clarice got her first look at the crowd. Before her lay a small field packed with what must have been some hundreds of her fellow students and various passerby, all staring intently at everyone on the stage. She felt her panic flow through her and she clutched her guitar until the strings on the neck began to dig into her fingers.

Aria began a short introduction from Clarice's right. "Well everyone, looks like there's some trouble downtown. Looks like we're all in terrible danger once again. Let's show 'em this is nothing." This was met with a good deal of cheering and applause that did nothing to ease the knot in Clarice's stomach.

Seth and Peter started playing the almost generic intro to their opener and Aria tossed her final quip out, "We thought we'd start out with some normal Britannian stuff." She paused for a moment before adding, "Then we decided to play something interesting instead."

With the end of Aria's comment and her cue from Peter and Seth sounded, the signature notes of Kaidoku Funou flowed from Clarice's fingers and the rush of the performance blinded her to anything but the feeling of exhilaration and the music she drew from the strings.

At one edge of the audience some distance from the stage, Kallen listened to her new friends play. To her relief, even though most of the songs the group had performed so far had been in Japanese, those in attendance didn't seem to mind at all.

A quiet, almost unheard, voice spoke from behind her. "It's good to see that Ashford has come so far. Big brother would be happy to see this."

Kallen turned around to find a young girl in a wheelchair; it took a moment for Kallen to recognize her. "Nunnally?"

"We thought it would be a good idea to try to disguise ourselves this time," Nunnally said with a smile.

As Kallen looked her over, she noted the casual clothing, hair dyed a darker brown and tied back, and a pair of green contacts. She had also traded her personal wheelchair for something an everyday person could afford. Behind her stood someone whose face Kallen was certain she wouldn't see again.

"Not much of a disguise Suzaku."

Suzaku had opted for the jeans-and-t-shirt ensemble with an overcoat that Kallen could have sworn she'd seen before. He was wearing brown contacts to help make him less distinguishable from others of Japanese descent. She had a feeling that it was Nunnally who'd insisted on them.

"People think I'm dead, thanks to you. Also, it's Rei while I'm here." He maintained his usual scowl.

Kallen thought to herself that Suzaku could use some lessons in coming up with clever disguises. She'd managed to master combat and concealment; but, then, Suzaku's strength had never been in quick wit.

Kallen decided not to press the point. "So, what are you two doing here, anyway? Isn't it dangerous?"

In a conversational tone Nunnally replied, "There's nothing to worry about. Big brother Schneizel just finished his negotiations and I wanted to accompany him home. Besides, I haven't missed a festival yet."

A reply was halted by a hand clapped onto Kallen's shoulder. Turning around, Kallen found herself looking into Alec's eyes.

Before Kallen could ask what he was doing, he spoke. Anxiousness and hurry tinged his voice, "Forgive me for interrupting my Lady," He moved in front of Kallen and gave a slight formal bow, careful not to be noticed doing so by those nearby, occupied as they were by the concert, "I must speak to Kallen alone."

Before Nunnally could shake off the surprise of someone she'd never met recognizing her so quickly, Suzaku rounded the wheelchair and attempted to stare Alec down, his face mere centimeters from Alec's. "Who are you and how do you know the Empress?"

Alec's face took on the smug grin he wore when speaking to someone he thought beneath him. "I don't, but anyone with a brain can tell who you are, Kururugi."

Before Suzaku could loose the threat behind the snarl he'd assumed, Nunnally intervened. "Suzaku please," her knight backed down, "if this man was a threat, Kallen would have already stopped him."

Suzaku looked to Kallen, noticing the nonchalant stance she still assumed.

"I can tell you're just worried about Nunna, but there's no reason to get so worked up. She's safe here." She gave him the best reassurance smile she could. He was dense, but at least he was caring too.

Suzaku's shoulders relaxed. "Sorry," he said, the tone of his voice telling that his apology was sincere.

"I'm not so certain about that last point," Alec said, "but she'll be fine for now. Kallen, come with me." Having used a tone that left no argument, he strode off in the direction of a now empty school building.

Kallen turned to Nunnally and Suzaku, apologized, and promised to explain later before following him.

The inside of the school building was painted in reds and yellows by the setting sun and had deepened the shadows around them. As Kallen approached Alec, who was watching the crowd and listening to a just audible Black Parade as they continued outside, she called out to him, "If you're going to make some romantic attempt to confess your love to me, forget it." Her grin marked it as a jest, though her tone did not.

He turned to her and smirked, "I wouldn't dream of it; if I wanted you, you'd be bound to my bed." As an afterthought, he added, "And sedated; I haven't forgotten that punch you gave me."

An annoyed look took the place of any witty reply to the insinuation.

Alec continued, "No, I wanted to show you something, before I told you what you will be doing this evening. I doubt you'll trust my assessment otherwise." He reached up to remove his contact, hiding his eye in the process. He wasn't usually one for useless displays, but showmanship was something he respected and practiced whenever possible.

As he lowered his hand, revealing a glowing geass sigil, Kallen's response was echoed simultaneously by Alec.

"But there wasn't anything there!"

"'But there wasn't anything there.'" He paused a moment, letting it sink in and giving himself time to disable his geass. "I use this contact," which he replaced as he spoke, "in case I wish to use my geass in public, and in case my mind wanders to the future."

"You _can_ see the future."

"Good to see you're paying attention."

"Where did you get that power from?" She looked around, almost expecting to see C.C. standing behind her.

"Not from the one you're thinking of. No, the other one, V.V.. I was one of his first contracts." He looked out the window at the students outside, their attention held rapt by the performers on stage. "However, unlike the others, I was smart enough to hide my usefulness. I gave V.V. false predictions, knowing he would either discard me... or simply kill me. Either way, I would not live as his slave. As it was, I became my father's slave, a lesser damnation, to preserve my own life. He was one of the order's investors and, as such, he was able to bargain for my life, provided he did not let me speak a word to an outsider." He noticed the apologetic look on Kallen's face; understanding beginning to dawn on her. "Spare me the pity," his grin returned, "I'm not the fragile fallen prince your Lelouch was, nor does _my_ connection to geass trouble me. It's a tool, nothing more."

"You knew Lelouch had a geass?"

"I knew he was Zero before he did. Our goals were the same. My contract was to protect Britannia; his mission was to destroy it. The way I saw it, he could accomplished both, in one way or another, so I decided to let him work for both of us. Now that he's gone, I must do my part, by showing you yours."

Kallen braced herself for what she was sure would end the normal life she'd been enjoying, "Which is?"

"Tonight, a riot will ravage the city of Tokyo," he held up a hand to forestall Kallen's reaction, "Don't worry, everything will be fine, but the Empress will be forced to return to Britannia. You and Gino will go with her."

Her eyes narrowed with the implications. "I see. Anything else?"

"I try not to look too far into the future. Losing control was bad enough the first time around."

Kallen's surprise was evident. "You regained control of your geass?"

"I had to; otherwise I would have lost my ability to see the present. You'd be surprised what sheer will can do. A geass user only loses control if his geass is stronger than his will. I needed to see the present, so I forced my geass to do so."

They remained quiet for a minute, listening to their friends play; Alec not really wanting to speak, Kallen knowing that she would get nothing more from Alec or his vision. However, their relaxation was interrupted by an announcement from Rivalz too muffled to understand and a wave of panic washing over the audience.

Alec turned to Kallen, saying, "It's started. Get to the empress, Gino will already be there. Keep her safe. I'll make sure everything goes well here."

Despite her early opinion of Alec, she found herself trusting that reassurance.

By the time she got there, Gino was explaining the situation to Nunnally and Suzaku, just as she'd expected. Nunnally was the first to notice Kallen's approach.

Fearfully, she asked, "Kallen, do you know anything more about what's happening?"

"I'm sure Gino's told you more than I know. We need to get out of here. Suzaku, what's the plan?" she asked, knowing full well that there would be a contingency plan in place should something go wrong.

"There's an armored car waiting for us, this way." He motioned with his hands before moving Nunnally in said direction.

Before joining them, Gino grabbed Kallen's arm. "Are you sure you want to help us, what about the students?" concern throughout his voice.

"Don't worry, Alec said he'd have everything under control. Besides, I couldn't live with myself if I wasn't there to help you."

Gino nodded and the two ran after Suzaku.

Across the lawn, Rivalz finished giving instructions to the students. Despite the fear gnawing at his insides, he kept himself under control. "Aria, I need you guys to go inside too. I don't want anyone getting hurt."

"To hell with that, we're not going anywhere." She chuckled, "and neither are they." She pointed behind Rivalz.

He turned and saw a group of students and many others, including a less than pleased former council president, all looking to him, clearly expressing the same sentiment Aria had just given voice to.

Aria said from behind him, "I think they're waiting for you to actually lead them, Mr. President."

Milly spoke up from in front of the stage, looking up at Rivalz, "Just give the order prez, we'll keep the school safe."

"I can't ask you to risk your lives, I won't."

A Japanese man, who Kallen had introduced as Tamaki, pushed his way to the forefront. He gave an annoyed grunt and said, "You think I came here and help out just to get scared off by a bunch of angry morons?" The crowd gave a cheer to sound their agreement. "I don't take orders from Britannians, but if you ask nice I might help out."

"We aren't leaving." Milly said, putting an end to discussion.

Rivalz, never one to disobey Milly, nodded and walked back to the microphone. Taking a moment to look over those gathered, he shouted into the microphone, "All right then, we'll be the first and last thing standing between that mob and the school." He pointed in the direction of the school gates, the one easy access point to the grounds. "Everyone line up in front of the gate, whatever happens, don't move; even if they do." This last was spoken quietly, with a seriousness that gave concern to those who knew the usually upbeat young man.

As Rivalz positioned himself in front of the line of students, a large group of rioters came into sight coming from both directions along the street. Inside, Rivalz felt his resolve begin to fade. His years of being a coward or utterly useless began to catch up with him. He could feel his hands shake and his knees felt like they were about to cave in. He shut his eyes, trying to block out the murmuring of his doubts and the screaming of his own instincts begging him to run. Just when he was about to consider it, he felt a hand slip into his. His eyes flashed open to find Milly standing next to him. She said nothing, but the nervous shake of her hand said everything. They looked into one another's eyes for a moment, before Milly freed her hand, raised the small mic in her other hand, and gave him a quick smile before stepping away to begin speaking to the one camera and cameraman she had brought along with her. As she began informing those that would undoubtably be watching, Rivalz vowed he would stand his ground as long as he could.

While listening to Milly's continued narration of the scene, Rivalz watched as the mobs from both sides converge and come to a stop. Men and women alike, all Japanese, composed the angry mass. Many held hastily made signs wishing death, and worse, to Britannia. Some had even found time to gather makeshift torches. Far too many carried improvised weapons. All stared daggers at Rivalz. He was now the Britannian standing in their way.

A single man stepped out from the crowd, "Move Britannian," he commanded, "Get out of our way and we'll let you live."

From somewhere deep inside, deeper even than the fear overwhelming his senses, came a single word. Lowering his head and shutting his eyes once more, Rivalz said simply, "No."

Furious confusion suffused the man's face. "What?" He screamed and grabbed hold of Rivalz's shirt, forcing Rivalz to look straight into his eyes.

_Now I've done it. _Rivalz thought to himself. He cursed himself for his suicidal tendencies and raised his head. A smile crept across his features and resignation settled into his eyes. His tone was almost conversational, "No," he reiterated, "We won't move. All of us are Japanese now." He searched his mind for what would likely be his last words and came up with a phrase Kallen's mother had taught him only a day ago. His eyes took on a defiant a character that gave him a look that, he hoped, left him looking much like his friend Lelouch would at a time like this. "Boku-tachi wa Nihonjin." The next thing Rivalz knew was intense pain, as the man's free hand, clenched into a fist, crashed into Rivalz cheek, dropping him to his knees.

There was an outcry from those guarding the school, but as everyone moved to begin fighting, Rivalz yelled at the top of his lungs "Stop!", halting his side in their tracks as the mob waited for the final justification they needed to overrun the school. "Everyone back to their places, I'm not letting this turn into another war," he said, his smile now gone. He stood up and wavered for a moment before finding a guardian bunny holding him up. He spoke now to the rioters, looking each in the eyes as he did, his tone one of a leader, stern and commanding, "I know we Britannians have caused you to suffer. I know there's nothing we can do to make up for it. But what is killing innocent students going to do? How is our suffering going to bring back those who are gone? Look behind you," he gestured with his free hand, indicating the massive FLEIJA crater behind the transparent wall that now surrounded it. "The last time a battle was fought here, millions of us died; Britannian and Japanese alike. Do you want that to happen again? How many more lives have to be sacrificed before we have peace? Didn't Lelouch's pointless war teach us anything?"

It was at that moment that Rivalz understood everything Lelouch had done and the sacrifice he had made. Biting back tears for his lost friend, one he knew to be every bit the friend he thought Lelouch had been, he continued, "If we don't stop this here and now, we'll never stop. We won't stop until all of Japan is destroyed. If you won't stop for our sake, do it for Japan. You worked so long to obtain peace, don't throw it all away." His voice had turned from stern and controlled, to a pleading tone as he begged the people of Japan not to end the peace Lelouch had given his life for.

As Rivalz looked into the crowd, he could see his plea for peace had worked its way into the more reasonable of those assembled.

"If you want, we can stay out of your way, but wouldn't it be better for all of us if we worked together for Japan's sake?" He turned his gaze to the ground and turned his back to the mob. "That's all I'll say, keep going or leave, I won't stop you."

Some moved to advanced, but were stopped by their peers. The riot's momentum sufficiently lessened, reason returned to those standing in front of the school.

His back still to the former rioters, Rivalz allowed himself a sigh of relief and relaxed slightly into the shoulder holding him up.

As night settled over the city of Tokyo, Kallen and Gino sat together on a plane bound for New Pendragon. On their way, Kallen had informed her mother of the circumstances and told her not to worry. Her mother, while understandably concerned, had accepted that Kallen was needed and had promised not to worry. Too much.

Now, as she fidgeted in her chair, she began to consider her own troubles. The biggest one being that she had no idea as to what would await her once they arrived in Britannia. What good would she be to anyone except as a bodyguard for Nunnally? Was that what Lelouch had meant; did he want her to keep Nunnally safe? Even then, Nunnally already had Suzaku and what little was left of the Knights of the Round. She didn't know anything about Britannian politics, which was inevitably what she would have to deal with. At least Gino would have some clue.

Which raised another point; here she was flying across the ocean with the object of her affections to someplace she'd never been before and, even though she would be relying on him the whole way, she still didn't know how he felt about her.

Gino looked over at her and inquired, "Something wrong? You can't sit still."

Even though she knew better, she replied, "Nothing really," if only to get him to insist.

"Come on, I know when something's getting to you. If you're worried about something, let me know."

"It's not important."

"It is to me," he said matter-of-factly, looking into her eyes.

As her heart skipped a beat, she thought that just maybe, there might be a reason to ask after all. Her cheeks a light pink, she began as calmly as possible, "Well, when we get to Britannia, I'll be counting on you a lot. Don't get me wrong, I trust you; but I have to know what kind of relationship we have." She immediately realized her slip and hoped Gino hadn't noticed.

Gino was clearly surprised by the question and took a moment to think about it. After a short time, he smiled warmly and answered, "You're my best friend Kallen. What else would you be after all this?"

For a moment she thought her heart had stopped completely.

* * *

Author's P.S. It's good to be getting on to the meat of the story, but I can't make any promises on the time table for the next chapter. However, that's only because I might start working on other projects, so I'll be around. Let me know how you liked this so far.


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